Kyugan's Crossover Corner
by kyugan
Summary: A collection of Fic-lings that may yet become full-on fics with enough support.
1. Final Flame

Hey y'all! Your humble review whore Kyugan here!

Taking a leaf out of Chibi-Reaper's book, and a considerable tome it is too, I've opted to post a few ideas for previewing, just to clear some brain power for current fics.

If I get enough reviews or requests for them, I may even upgrade these oneshots to full on story status. But for now, I'm just bouncing ideas around the room for your criticism.

Enjoy!

* * *

Fall of a leaf; Black fire.

_The Uchiha Hideout: The land of Fire._

"Gomen…Sasuke..." chuckled Uchiha Itachi, a kind smile gracing his normally emotionless features as he stood before his completely flummoxed brother, blood trailing from his lips as he tapped the younger Uchiha between the same eyes he'd threatened to pluck out, just as he used to do when they were younger "this is the last time…"

That said Uchiha Itachi, the legendary S-rank missing nin, member of the criminal organization Akatsuki, and killer of his own clan, the Patricidal Uchiha, slumped against the wall as his legs gave out, his chin resting on his younger brother's shoulder for a few seconds, before sliding off, sending him slumping to the floor on his back, eyes gazing up at the sky.

'I've done…all I could…' he reasoned, even as the blurry outline of his reduced sight faded into darkness, a fading image of Konoha rising before him, reminding him of everything he'd sacrificed for this day to come to pass '…I only pray…Sasuke doesn't…fall into his-!'

He trailed off, eyes widening as, despite the fading of his senses, he caught sight of a telltale chakra signature not ten feet away, recognizing it as Zetsu, the Akatsuki spy and Madara's devout informant, who had apparently been watching the interchange from a safe distance. 'No-!' Itachi growled, as Sasuke collapsed next to him, drained from their battle, the elder Uchiha's entire being roiling as he realized exactly what the plant man would do as he walked up to them for a closer look 'Not my brother…not again-!'

Struggling to move, his limbs feeling like they were being weighed down with lead the entire time, Itachi turned his head to glare at the plant man, willing what little remained of his chakra into his eyes, blood dripping from them like tears as he lashed out with numbing fingers, latching onto Zetsu's ankle with the savagery of his namesake, even as the plant man began to shift into the soil.

Zetsu, caught completely off guard at the unexpected movement, having fully brushed Itachi off as a meal for later, could only gaped at Itachi in alarm as he unwittingly dragged the man into the earth with him. He opened his mouth to curse, or initiate some retaliatory jutsu, only to receive a face full of Amaterasu, the black flames cutting off his screams as they forced their way inside his throat, the smell of roasting plant and flesh filling the air, even as Itachi convulsed, feeling a peculiar sensation of something snapping inside his body.

'That's it…' the Uchiha deduced, his fingers slipping from the screaming nin's body, a mocking smile on his face as he slipped deeper into the ground with him 'At least this takes care of the burial…'

He didn't even notice the surge of chakra emanating from Zetsu as the plant man desperately tried to teleport to Madara's side, for if anyone could fend off the Amaterasu it'd be the one true master of the Mangekyou, as he was already slipping into the blackness.

_______________-----------------------__-----------------------__-----------------------__-----------------------__-----------------------__-----------------------__-----------------------__-----------------------__-----------------------__-----------------------_

_The woods: outside the Hideout._

"Well now…" Uchiha Madara, in the guise of Tobi of Akatsuki noted, tilting his masked face towards the west as he listened to the sound of dieing thunder, one hand raised to shield his eyes in mock confusion "Wonder what's going on over-?!"

"MADARA-SAMA!" a pair of dual, high pitched screams called out, the true master of Akatsuki snapping round to gape as Zetsu, covered in black flames and clearly panicked, stumbled out of the tree branch he was standing on like something clawing it's way out of hell "HELP ME!"

"WHAT THE HELL?!" came a curse from the Inuzuka below, the feral teen falling off his canine in horror as he pointed at the monstrosity that has appeared before the equally startled Sasuke retrieval team "WHAT THE HELL IS THAT?!"

"Zetsu…" Madara muttered, forgoing the 'san', as there was a time and place for keeping up appearances, and it wasn't when his subordinates were being fried alive. Nonetheless he backed up, not wanting to be caught by the flames as he looked said subordinate over in alarm "What the hell hap-!"

He swore as the feeling of spatial displacement washed over him, whipping his head round just in time to fire off a parting glare at Hatake Kakashi, as the transplant-Sharingan wielder used his own version of the Mangekyou ability, Kamui, in a bid to put an end to them all. 'Sorry, Zetsu.' the eternal Uchiha muttered, warping away with his own space-time ninjutsu before he was trapped in the dimensional riff, watching with trepidation as the screaming plant man was sucked in, along with what appeared to be the corpse of Itachi, which he'd only noticed because he was looking down at the scene from a higher perch.

'Well…that answers two questions.' The true leader of Akatsuki reasoned, honestly impressed with Itachi's dedication to his ideals, not many could pull off a last ditch attack from the grave after all, before turning on his heel and racing off to the hide-out before the Hyuuga or Aburame could get a lock on his chakra.

'Now I'm not bound by that pledge to leave Konoha alone…' he smirked, recalling the terms of Itachi's allegiance to Akatsuki 'Though the irony of turning Sasuke on it is simply to good to pass up.'

_______________-----------------------__-----------------------__-----------------------__-----------------------__-----------------------__-----------------------__-----------------------__-----------------------__-----------------------__-----------------------_

"Kaka-sensei…" Naruto muttered, looking over at the panting jounin with a concerned expression, as the last time Kakashi had used Kamui it had wiped him out "You okay?"

"I'm fine…" Kakashi assured him mid-pant, his sharingan reverting to normal as he covered his face with one hand to suppress the migraine that using Kamui always imparted him with "Hinata…did I get them?"

"I detected three chakra signatures in the field of your jutsu." The shy Hyuuga heiress reported diligently "H-however, at the last second that masked one m-managed to teleport away."

"Wait…three?" Naruto stammered, looking over at the girl in confusion, causing her to blush and hide behind the annoyed form of her teammate, Shino "But I only saw him and that barbecued plant thing!"

"The third one was injured…" Kiba opined, leaping up to the branch with Akamaru and giving the bark a sniff, lifting his hand up to reveal blood that had soaked into the bark "Badly at that…" he added, only to frown suddenly "Weird…the third guy smells like Sasuke…sort of."

'Itachi?' the members of team Kakashi, old and new alike, wondered at the same time, shooting each others looks of unease as Kakashi looked to the west, wondering what the masked sharingan wielder had been looking at so intently before.

"Let's move out." The jounin ordered, sounding less winded with each breath "Kiba, Hinata, Shino, used your widest range and scout ahead." Team eight nodded and went to work immediately "The rest of us will follow suit, keep close."

"Kaka-sensei…" Naruto called out, pausing the team in their bid to move out as he looked up at the jounin with unusual calm "That jutsu of yours…are you sure you don't know where Itachi…?"

Kakashi, realizing where the line of conversation was going, shook his head with a sigh "Sorry," he offered, looking at his charge with pity "But even I don't know where the dimensional space disappears to."

Naruto flinched, seeing their one chance to bait Sasuke back to Konoha go up in flames, internally wondering if he'd ever figure out what the elder Uchiha had meant when he'd 'bequeathed' him with some of his own power, but put it out of his head for now.

Right now he had bigger fish to fry, like catching up to Sasuke before that masked freak.

_________________-----------------------__-----------------------__-----------------------__-----------------------__-----------------------__-----------------------__-----------------------__-----------------------__-----------------------__-----------------------_

_Main Street: Juuban District._

"How much are you planning to eat Odango-Atama?!" Hino Rei snarled, glaring death at her best friend/bottomless pit on legs as said blonde continued to put away sweet after sweet with no signs of stopping anytime soon.

"But it's a food fair Rei!" Tsukino Usagi insisted, stuffing another helping of rich, chocolate cake into her mouth with gusto, little crumbs decorating the edges of her mouth as she spoke "C'mon, loosen up a little!"

"I get any looser and you'll eat up MY allowance too!" the fiery tempered priestess snapped, slapping the blonde upside her pigtailed head with a novelty harisen she'd bought early on into the festivities, a wise purchase indeed as it turned out "You've already spent your bus fare along with everything else! Don't expect ME to lend you any for the trip back!"

"Rei-chan, your blood pressure…" Ami opined weakly, whilst Minako and Makoto sighed dramatically, looks of long suffering good humor on their faces. After all, a day without Usagi driving Rei to her wits end would most likely be very boring indeed, and at least Rei wasn't throwing O-fuda around like last time.

"It's Odango-Atama's GLUCOSE intake that should be bothering you!" Rei challenged the bluenette with a huff, shaking her head in disbelief, her long hair moving counter to the motion "Seriously, with the amount she eats I'm surprised she doesn't burst out of her senshi uniform the next time we have to fight!"

"YOUMA!" a high pitched scream cried out, the crowd turning in shock as a horde of panicked clients stampeded out of a nearby ice-cream salon, from which more screams and the sounds of wanton destruction could be heard "THERE'S A YOUMA! RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!"

"Speak of the devil…" Minako giggled, shooting a stunned Rei a wry smirk as the priestess gaped at the sacked salon in shock "you that desperate to see Usagi bust outta her suit? Sure there's something you're not telling us Rei-chan?"

"U-Urusei!" Rei snapped, looking flushed at the very idea, before whipping out her Henshin rod and moving behind an abandoned stall to transform "C'mon! Let's just get this over with!" she glared as Usagi was the last to respond "DROP THE CAKE NOW!"

"You don't need to yell…" Usagi wept, letting her friend drag her behind the stall like a beanbag "It was only a small mousse…"

_______________-----------------------__-----------------------__-----------------------__-----------------------__-----------------------__-----------------------__-----------------------__-----------------------__-----------------------__-----------------------_

"IT BURNS!" Zetsu screamed, thrashing around like a maniac, knocking tables, chairs and display cases over, eliciting screams as the black fire that was eating him alive spread to whatever he touched. The Akatsuki nin didn't know where in the hell he was, hell he couldn't tell up from down at that moment, as his eyes had been boiled dry by the heat of the flames. All that existed for him now was the searing heat and the seemingly endless pain, for even if the summoner died, Amaterasu would not fade until his opponent had been completely consumed "BUURRNS!!!!"

"Hold it right there!" A loud, irritating voice called out, drawing the half-burned plant-man's attention in the general direction of the doorway, where five familiar, to the locals anyway, silhouettes could be made out from the glare of the sun behind them.

"Vile enemy of all that lives!" Sailor Moon called out, posing dramatically as she pointed at the fore "How dare you threaten these people in their pursuit of sweet…creamy…chocolaty…"

"GET A GRIP MOON BRAIN!" Mars snapped, producing a harisen and clouting her drooling leader over the head with it, earning sweat drops from the onlookers, as there was always a few hanging back and snapping shots of them, usually hoping for an up skirt shot or three to lighten up the local gossip rags, "In the name of Mars!"

"Jupiter!"

"Venus!"

"Mercury!"

"And the Moon!" their leader added, snapping back into focus rather quickly as she pulled off her traditional opening pose "We will punish you-!"

"BUUUUURNS!!!!" Zetsu roared, barreling towards the insufferable noise desperately, too wracked with pain to think further beyond his need to extinguish the flames, and hoping like hell that whoever was speaking new suiting ninjutsu "BURNING! FIRE! BUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUURRRRNNNNNSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!"

"EEEEEEEEEEEEEK!" Moon screamed, leaping out of the way as their fiery opponent blazed past, smashing into tables and display cases as he lashed out at anything that moved, her eyes widening as a patch of black fire landed right in front of her "HOT!"

"SHABON SPRAY!" Mercury called out, sending a blast of freezing called mist towards their foe, only to blink as it dissipated upon contract, though the monster paused mid-rampage.

"Water..." Zetsu muttered, his deep gravelly tone lined with madness and agony as he turned to face the source of the apparent Suiton jutsu in desperation "MORE WATER!"

"Mercury!" Jupiter yelled, realizing the danger as the monster lunged towards the startled Bluenette like a man possessed "SPARKING WIDE PREASSURE!"

Zetsu's screams increased as the blast of electrical energy ripped through his body, only adding to his suffering as he stumbled past the startled Mercury, only to curse as a 'Love Me Chain' wrapped around his feet, sending him face first over the counter, burying him up to his waist in frozen cream, which promptly began to melt from the heat.

"Now Sailor Moon!" Venus cried out, pointing at the struggling fiend for emphasis, only to blink as her leader rushed past, with her pigtails trailing smoke, as apparently she'd gotten too close to the black flames than was wise "Sailor Moon!"

"AH!" The blonde wailed, only to blink as a rose came out of nowhere and severed the smoking ends of her pigtails, embedding itself in the wall as she turned to face her savior as he stood on a tabletop "Tuxedo Kamen!"

"The enemy is vulnerable Sailor Moon!" the tuxedo wearing 'guardian of the senshi' proclaimed, stating the obvious after doing next to nothing, as usual "Finish him!"

"Hai!" the blonde cheered, whipping out her moon scepter for the finishing blow "Moon Spiral Heart Attack!"

The sole consolation Zetsu had, as he dissolved under the force of the attack, was that at the very least he couldn't feel the heat anymore. Well, that and the fact he'd passed out face first in a tub of Gummy Worms, which was always a plus.

_______________-----------------------__-----------------------__-----------------------__-----------------------__-----------------------__-----------------------__-----------------------__-----------------------__-----------------------__-----------------------_

"Moon Dusted!" Moon Cheered, doing a victory pose, only to slip in someone's spilt sundae and crash butt first into the floor "OWIE!"

'Our Fearless Leader ladies and gents…' Mars muttered with a sigh, shaking her head as the blonde broke out into tears of pain 'Seriously, she'd fall over her own two feet under water if she could!'

"Aww…all the ice-creams melted!" Venus exclaimed, looking around in dismay at the liquidized vats that were slowly mingling with one another, pressing a finger to her lip as she pouted cutely "I wanted a snow cone when this was over…"

"God save me from blondes and their stomachs." Mars muttered, though it was without any venom, as she knew quite rightly that Minako, and Usagi to an extent, were anything but stereotypical 'Dumb blondes'.

Yes they were boy crazy, hyperactive troublemakers, but then so were the rest of them, with the exception of Ami, who's only vice was that she was too shy for her own good.

Minako, after all, had been battling the Dark Kingdom far longer than any of them as Sailor V, and had been doing a damn fine job of it too. Hell even Usagi, a klutz and class-A ditz through and through, had her moments of brilliance, usually in the heat of battle, and when the chips were down there's no-one Rei would've preferred to have in a firefight, though you couldn't have gotten her to admit to that even under penalty of death.

"Omigosh!" Mercury gasped, drawing their attention to the bluenette as she gaped at something on the floor, her hands covering her mouth in horror "Moon!" she cried out, voice trembling with shock "Come quickly!"

"What's wrong Mercury?" Venus queried, sidling up to the usually shy bluenette in confusion, only to pale as she followed her gaze to the prone form on the floor _"Oh My God!"_

'Was that English?' Mars wondered idly, sidling up to the duo alongside an equally surprised Jupiter 'That's right…she was in Britain as Sailor V.' she recalled, shaking her head in disbelief at how well traveled her fellow senshi was 'I wonder what it's like over…'

She trailed off, her eyes going wide as she stared down at the figure lying prone before her. He was lying face down, so she couldn't make out his features, but it was apparent from his battered, bleeding figure that he'd been caught up in the monsters attack. His clothes, which seemed to consist of a black T-shirt, trousers and sandals, were in tatters, and there were obvious signs of multiple cuts and stab wounds about his person, the smell of blood rising from him as he bled out on the floor.

"M-Moon…" She stammered, voice trembling, fighting down the urge to retch as the smell of his blood washed over her, only to snap out of it and spin on her heel "MOON!" she yelled, surprising even herself at the volume "GET YOUR ASS OVER HERE NOW!"

"Coming!" the leader of the Senshi yelled, racing over with a look of shock on her face, as she'd never have expected her friend to swear, being a priestess was probably a major factor, only to pull up short at the sight before her "Oh Kami-sama…!"

"This is bad!" Mercury gasped, crouching next to the man and whipping out her trusty mercury computer, running his body through a full scan in a matter of seconds "His heart's stopped and he's not breathing!" she paled as she pulled her hand away from his back to find it covered in blood "Oh my-!"

"O-on it!" Moon yelped, whipping out her scepter again and waving it over the man's prone form desperately "MOON HEALING ESCALATION!"

The healing power of the spell, powered by the sacred energy of the Ginzuishou, washed over the man, the cuts on his skin healing up at an accelerated pace, though it did little to affect his clothes, which considering the damage done to them shouldn't have been a surprise, nor did it remove the dried blood trails that had been rubbed into his skin.

However, despite that, as the lights faded around him it was to reveal an uninjured, but nonetheless unconscious man, the spreading stain of blood that had been pooling beneath him having receded back into his body.

"Thank Kami…" Mercury exclaimed, breathing a sigh of relief as her computer detected the telltale signs of the man's heart starting up again, a quick check revealing his breath was unrestricted too "I thought he was a goner for a minute there."

"Yeah…" Moon agreed, shivering slightly at the near thing. While she and the senshi were no strangers to being knocked about, they at least had the benefit of their Senshi armor to protect them from serious harm. It was surprising really, the amount of damage the deceptively thin outfits could take, Makoto had once been thrown into a tree and she hadn't a bruise to show for it, though her back had been stiff as hell for a few days.

"Hey, what's he look like?" Venus enquired, smiling cheekily as Mars shot her an incredulous glare "What? Can't blame me for being curious can you?"

"You're incorrigible." Mars muttered, though it was with a good-natured smirk as she shook her head at the blonde, after all, what was the harm in looking? She herself liked to let her eyes wander, though she never really acted on them as the only man she considered dating material, Chiba Mamoru, was spoken for already.

The senshi promptly snapped out of their respective thoughts as another series of gasps from Mercury, who'd been rolling the man onto his back to help him breath easier with the aid of an equally stunned Jupiter, drew their attention downwards again, their eyes bulging out of their skulls at the sight of the man's face.

"Holy cow he's HOT!" Venus squealed, little hearts in her eyes as she gazed down at the face of their bishounen patient, literally drolling at the mouth "I mean REALLY hot!"

"He looks hotter than my old sempai!" Jupiter insisted, which in its self drew looks of shock from the rest of the senshi, as up till now no man they'd met had surpassed this so called 'Sempai' in anything.

"Mamo-chan's better." Usagi insisted, pouting slightly as she crossed her arms, though it was with decidedly less certainty than normal, as she was having a hard time tearing her eyes from that cultured, almost mask-like face. Even the weird wrinkles on his face seemed to only highlight the man's looks further.

"What are you blind?!" Mars stammered, looking at the pouting blonde in disbelief. She'd be the first to admit that Mamoru was indeed the dreamiest guy in town, spoken for or not, but his poster boy looks actually seemed boyish in the face of the manly perfection that lay before them now.

"He looks like he might be in his late teens, early twenties at most." Mercury noted, her face bright enough to serve as Rudolph's stand in as she found herself incapable of tearing her gaze from the man's face "You think we should call a doctor?"

"Why? He's healed up isn't he?" Minako asked, looking down at the bluenette in concern at the possibility that their newfound hunk was still in danger.

"Maybe so, but he was in pretty bad shape before," Mercury reminded her "even if we healed his wounds he might have suffered shock from the experience."

"Don't think we need to worry about the hospital…" Jupiter noted, titling her head towards the door, where the sound of sirens could be heard "I think it's time to book."

"Wait!" Minako exclaimed, crouching down next to the hunk, drawing looks of confusion from the others as she patted him over "Lemme see if I can find his phone number first!"

"COME ON!" Mars growled, dragging the struggling Senshi of love off the recumbent hunk and out the door, just as the first of Tokyo's finest and the Ambulance were pulling up outside.

_______________-----------------------__-----------------------__-----------------------__-----------------------__-----------------------__-----------------------__-----------------------__-----------------------__-----------------------__-----------------------_

_Well there's one down!_

_Expect more possible fic-lings in the future!_

* * *


	2. Dark Defense

Greeting's Y'all, humble internet review whore Kyugan here!

Here's another little idea that was taking up processor space in my head, hopefully you'll love it as much as the first one.

* * *

Dark Defense

Deal with a Devil

It was always raining this time of year in the United Kingdom, so much so that many people would hold off on any big plans simply out of habit. This was especially true for Scotland, a fact that many would consider a right pain in the arse, were it not for the fact that, being used to the weather, they found means of occupying themselves.

But for the secret wizarding society the rain was in fact a double blessing, as it not only allowed the various witches and wizards to go about their regular routines whilst their muggle neighbors stayed indoors, but it kept those nosy researchers away from the various magical sites that littered the higlands, most notably the Hogwarts grounds, as the area around the castle forest was renowned for it's landslides in fierce weather.

True the muggle-repelling charms helped, especially on those annoying hikers that just wouldn't take a bloody hint and feck off, but nothing kept nosy parkers away than Mother Nature when she was in a bad mood.

It was at this time that we turn our attention to the wizarding school itself, or more specifically, towards a single, solitary light that shone from a window near the top of one of the castle's lofty towers. Behind this window was a room, more specifically an office, and within said office, looking out into the rain with an unreadable expression in his normally twinkling blue eyes, was the current Headmaster of Hogwarts, Chief Warlock of the Wizengammot, Supreme Mugwump of the International Confederation of Wizards, and quite possibly the most powerful British Wizard alive, Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore.

If the lack of his trademark twinkle in his eyes weren't hint enough to the Headmaster's state of mind, the fact that his pet phoenix and loyal companion, Fawkes, was crooning softly from his perch at the back of the room, should have made it amply clear that Dumbledore was NOT in a good mood.

The reason for this was Fudge, and we're not talking about the addictively delicious treat either, but rather the bowler sporting minister of magic, Cornelius Fudge, who was proving most unreasonable of late.

The little twat, despite years of sucking up to Dumbledore, badgering him at all hours of the day for advice, refused to see that Tom Riddle, or as the lad preferred to be known: Lord Voldemort, had returned from his near death experience, apparently stronger than ever and eagre to pick up where he left off, namely 'purging' the wizarding world of the 'impurity' of muggles and muggle-borns. Apparently there was a running pattern for would be dictators.

Fudge was so far in denial that he'd had the audacity to have Albus' rank of Chief Warlock of the wizengammot stripped from him, apparently taking on the title for himself despite the protests of more than a few members. However, not even the Minister of Magic could outrank the clout Dumbledore had with the other members, not for lack of trying mind you, which is why the professor had been able to attend the supposed 'trial' of one Harry James Potter, otherwise known as 'The Boy Who Lived', scant seconds before Fudge could pull any tricks.

Not that you could call it a trial, in fact, had Dumbledore been as loathe to address it as anything other than a farce, he would have called the proceedings a proverbial 'Witch Hunt'. Young Harry had been hauled up on charges of illegal use of magic in front of a muggle, his own cousin no less, a crime that many a wizard would have been heavily punished for, but for an underage student, was indeed most grim.

The fact that Harry had apparently fended off a pack of Dementors had mostly been scoffed at, after all everyone KNEW the despicable creatures were in the Ministry's employ, though the fact the boy could perform a corporeal patronus, and had demonstrated as such to Alice Bones, had made several would be condemers reconsider their verdict. Fudge, of course, wanted nothing more than to have Harry expelled from Hogwarts, doubtlessly believing that by removing the boy from Dumbledore's 'care', he'd be of better use to the ministry.

Fortunately, the plan had, predictably, fallen through, as Dumbledore had merely had to set foot in the court room to remind the insolent little bureaucrat who was top dog. Not that this brought the professor any real form of pleasure mind you.

Well, admittedly it HAD been a real treat to watch Fudge stew in his impotency while he'd led Harry out of the proceedings, but such matters paled in comparison to the dilemma the professor now faced. For while the attempt to discredit Harry could be swept subtly under the carpet, the fact that Hogwarts STILL hadn't been able to locate a creditable Defense Against the Dark Arts professor was not so easy to cover up.

It had been a long-standing tradition that, should a candidate not be found to fill in for a professor, the Ministry would supply one until such time that a replacement could be found. Ordinarily Albus would have accepted this without question, but ordinarily he would have had Fudge wrapped around his little finger, and thus could have selected the candidates from amongst the Auror Corps.

As it stood however, Dumbledore had a pretty good hunch as to whom Fudge would send to Hogwarts, and the idea of allowing the woman in question, who had slithered her way into the ministry through use of blackmail and the overused 'Imperius Legislation', into a position of authority, rankled the headmaster's beard. And considering the length of the Professor's facial hair, that was quite a knot to untangle.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Ah Fawkes…" the aged magician muttered, gazing out the sole office window into the relentless storm with a sigh "It is indeed dire times we find ourselves in. Not only do I find myself trying to think three steps ahead of Tom, but now I must think a step ahead of Fudge and his lackeys, not to mention keeping an eye on young Harry."

He stared out into the rain for a few minutes, his face a mask of grim discomfort, only to break the façade as lip lip quirked in a smile. "I haven't had this much fun in years." He admitted with a chuckle, a familiar twinkle returning to his eyes as Fawkes trilled in agreement behind him.

But fun and games aside, having Dolores Umbridge take up the position of DADA professor was NOT something Dumbledore was willing to accept without a fight, especially if he wanted Harry prepared for the upcoming challenges. He'd seen the book list that the woman had requested, and there was nothing in there that hadn't already been covered or discarded as bunk in first year, clearly an attempt to discredit the school, and Albus by proxy from the inside. Quite frankly the only way Harry could use the ministry assigned books against Tom was if he chucked one at the man's head.

The problem was that while Fudge was undoubtedly an incompetent, kowtowing bureaucrat, too desperate to hold onto his delusions of grandeur and the seat of power he'd only received because Dumbledore didn't like being in the spotlight, he was STILL the Minister of Magic, and as such could see to it that all of the possible candidates for the position were either occupied or on the ministry's payroll. It didn't help that many believed the position was cursed, especially with Hogwarts' track record for going through an new professor per term.

'How ironic that the professors that have contributed the MOST to Harry's education against the Dark Arts have been a Werewolf and a Death Eater…' The professor mused, shaking his head at the irony of Bart Grouch Jr. teaching his master's enemy spells that could wind up killing Tom one day. The REAL Alastor would have never taught the students anything so dangerous 'Why if I didn't know any better I'd suspect the only ones that can teach are those that are dark themsel-!'

He trailed off, his silvery brow furrowing as an epiphany struck with the force of a reductor curse. Turning his back on the driving rain, a quick charm drawing the curtains shut, the aged professor began to pace before his desk, Fawkes following his movements with interest.

'Would it work?' he wondered, his blue eyes deadly serious as he stroked his moustaches in thought, his half moon spectacles glinting in the firelight 'One the one hand I would be absolutely certain that Fudge has no sway over them,'he grimaced suddenly 'but on the other, fact remains they aren't the type to listen to ANYONE.' He snorted, wry amusement visible in his eyes at some distant memory 'Just like their mother really…' he chuckled, only to shake his head with a frown to get back on track.

'But which one would be best suited?' he muttered, resuming his pacing as he ran over what little he knew of the men in question 'True the younger is more inclined to the light, but his methods and mannerism are far too muggle for him to be accepted…' he frowned suddenly 'and as for the elder…were it not for his indifferent stand towards people in general I wouldn't be surprised if he usurped Voldemort at some point.'

'However,' he noted, stroking his moustache again as he paused in thought 'Unlike his brother, the elder one has ambition…' he turned his eyes towards his bookcase 'and like any ambition, he needs the right tools to obtain it…'

Decision made, Albus walked to his desk, magically summoning a sheet of parchment and an inkwell out of thin air as he set about drafting a letter to the man, he hoped, would be willing to meet with him to discuss the possibility of taking up the DADA position.

He kept the letter formal, but to the point, as while the man was loathe to beat around the bush, he still demanded a certain level of respect and caution in any conversation, and it wouldn't do to unintentionally agravate him.

Signing the letter with his usual, curled signature and promptly sealing the envelope with a drop of wax and the Hogwarts stamp, the aged Headmaster set about casting the usual delivery charm over the address, usually reserved for Hogwarts acceptance letters, before entrusting the letter to Fawkes, who vanished with a flash of fire to deliver it.

"Now all I can do is wait." He sighed, popping a lemon drop into his mouth and sucking away happily at the bitter-sweet confectionary, his hands clasped over his stomach as he leant back in his large, comfortable chair, already formulating the next gauntlet to lay before young harry. "Hmm…perhapse a little…jealous motivation?" he wondered, turning his eyes to the list of new Prefects that were to be appointed this year, more specifically the Gryffindor and Slytherin names.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

In a dark, deserted street a man paused in his step, his eyes narrowing in suspicion as he looked up, his hand moving steadily towards his hip as he eyed a particular patch of air before him.

A sudden flash of fire, preceded by an even more sudden flash of steel, was followed by a cut-off squawk of shocked indignation, even as the flames vanished, great gouts of ash dropping to the floor at the man's feet, a small envelope fluttering down to land on top of it.

Intrigued, the man knelt, picking the dusty missive from the ashes, quirking an eyebrow at the irate peeps that erupted from the infantile phoenix, before turning the letter over, his eyes narrowing as he espied the unusual address, which listed not only his name, but his exact coordinates, right down to the the lampost he was standing next to.

"What the hell?" he muttered, slitting the envelope and withdrawing the contents, ignoring the irate peeps of the phoenix with a detached air as he skimmed over the contents "Interesting…"

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It had not even been a full day since the Prefect letters had been posted out with the Hogwarts book lists when Dumbledore, who had retreated to the sanctity of his office after yet ANOTHER attempt to make Fudge see sense, was roused from his nap…MEDITATION, by heavy footfalls, so heavy they actually caused the dust of centuries past to fall from the ceiling, coming up the corridor to his office.

"Come in, Hagrid." the professor called out, sending a wandless alohomora to open the door, revealing Rubeus Hagrid, the Hogwarts groundskeeper, dressed in his usual moleskin overcoat, one hand raised in the act of knocking on the door.

"I'll never figure out 'ow you do that professor." The half-giant muttered, his face, what little was visible behind his mane of black hair and beard, lined with shocked awe as he stooped under the archway "Didn't even 'ave ter say the password."

"My dear Hagrid," Dumbledore chuckled, smiling at the good natured, if socially inept groundskeeper with the air of an amused grandparent "have I not always said my door is always open for those I trust?"

Hagrid blushed behind his beard, nodding his head in agreement in a manner reminiscent of when he'd been a student himself. Dumbledore had been looking out for Hagrid since the latter's expulsion, his unfair expulsion at that, mainly by seeing to it that the half-giant's occasional use of magic, despite his wand being snapped, was swept aside.

"Be that as it may," the professor stated, looking up at the larger man, his silvery brow quirked as he leveled an inquisitve stare at him "is there a reason you've come to see me?"

"Well…" Hagrid muttered, shifting uneasily from foot to foot as he looked over his shoulder at something that was blocked by his considerable bulk from the headmaster's sight "There's someone 'ere to see yer professor, say's he's got business with yer or summat."

"Indeed?" Dumbledore asked, internally breathing a sigh of relief that Hagrid wasn't trying to 'adopt' another of the numerous horrors from the forbidden forest, before quirking an eyebrow in interest "Would he happen to be a man of regal standing and appearance?"

"The same sir…" Hagrid admitted, nodding his head in awe of the headmaster's deduction skills "Dressed in silk and lookin' like…" he twitched slightly "Begin' yer pardon sir but he looks like a Malfoy that got of his arse and did an honest days work."

"I don't believe I came here so that my appearance could be criticized." a cold, decidedly regal tone pointed out, the suddeness of it startling Hagrid enough that he actually jumped, causing several of Dumbledore's desk ornaments to fall to the floor with a crash, rousing several of the former headmasters' portraits from their slumber. "If you called me here to waste my time…"

"I assure you I have not." Dumbledore spoke up, standing from behind his desk as Hagrid stepped aside to admit the speaker into the office, the professor nodding at the half-giant in thanks "Please come in, thank you for escorting him Hagrid."

Hagrid nodded and left without a word, eager to get away from the mysterious young man that, despite being dressed like a noble, inspired a type of terror in the half-giant that not even the fiercest of forest creatures could match.

"Quite a menagerie of freaks you've assembled here." The man noted, his head turned slightly to the side as he listened to the half-giant's massive footfalls recede "I had a most interesting time getting here through the forests, you DO know that Acromantulas have established a colony on your doorstep?"

"Hagrid may have mentioned it at some point…" Dumbledore admitted, his eyes twinkling in a manner that made it clear the younger man wasn't getting anything else out of him.

"I see." The man noted, his tone making it clear that he really could care less, as if the question had been a test of sorts, before walking over to a chair in front of Dumbledore's desk, his movements speaking of a catlike grace. It even showed in the way he sat, making it so his clothes would not wrinkle, but to all outside purposes he put no effort into doing so.

"I believe THIS is yours." The man noted, extending a hand, in which rested a bundled hankerchief towards the headmaster, who accepted it only to find an irate, infant Fawkes glaring deadily up at him "Your pet startled me, were he not a phoenix I'd have already buried him for you."

"Blessed be for small mercies." Dumbledore chuckled, stroking Fawke's head soothingly as he carried the mollified chick to his perch/nest, carefully removing any stains from the man's hankerchief with a charm before returning it "Am I to assume then, that in coming here you are, at least, interested in my proposal?"

"Perhaps." The man suggested, leaning back in his chair and meeting Dumbledore's eyes with his own, the headmaster's blue eyes latching onto the th steel-like blue of his guest unflinchingly "Though quite frankly I highly doubt the 'information' you claimed to possess is worth the hassle of babysitting a bunch of snot-nosed, would-be wand wavers."

"Yout suspicions do you credit." Dumbledore applauded, his tone polite, though not without his usual amiability as he walked towards his considerable bookcase "I cannot say I did not anticipate it, which is why I took the liberty of bringing this as proof."

The man quirked an eyebrow at the small, purple tome the headmaster extracted from amongst the vast collection on display. It was old, if the styling of the cover and the coloring of the parchment were any indication, but other than that was virtually unimpressive.

"Please," Dumbledore offered, setting the book on the desk before him and resuming his seat, his hands steepled before him "Consider it a down-payment, in good faith."

The man said nothing, but nontheless picked up the book, turning it over idly in his hands, before opening it to the first page. He stiffened suddenly, his eyes locked onto the text written there with an intensity that could have easily burned a hole through the back of the tome.

"I've had several people look over it to validate it's authenticity." Dumbledore informed the man, though wether he was heard was up to debate, as his guest did not react to his voice "The text is clearly Infernal in nature, though the book and ink itself are of muggle origin."

"Where did you get this?" the younger man demanded, his steely blue eyes shifting their focus from the book he held in his hand, the other drifting slowly to the side of his chair, where his weapon rested in it's sheath "Where?!"

"I shall be glad to tell you." Dumbledore admitted, smiling serenely at the visibly incensed young man, his eyes twinkling in silent victory "All I ask is that you teach the Defense Against the Dark Arts class this year. Do this, and I shall gladly tell you of where I came across that particular piece of text."

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Harry James Potter sighed as he sat at the Gryfindor table, waiting for the first years to finish being sorted so that he could get a decent meal before heading off to bed.

So far his fifth year as a wizard was NOT going so well. First he and Dudley had almost had their souls sucked out by Dementors, forcing him to summon a patronus despite the law against underage-magic. As a result of this, he'd been hauled up before the wizengamot, the wizarding court, where Corenlius 'couldn't find his arse with both hands and the four-point spell' Fudge had done everything in his power to have him expelled.

The only good thing that had come of the whole affair was that he'd gotten out from under the Dursley's eyes a little earlier than he'd expected, spending the rest of the summer at the ancestral home of his outlaw Godfather, Sirius Black, who he'd missed terribly despite keeping in regular owl-contact. Though the moment had been ruined somewhat when, despite everything he'd done, despite all the trials he'd faced, despite proving time and time again his loyalty to the ideals of Gryfindor, Dumbledore had passed him up for the position of prefect.

Not even the fact that Ron and Hermione, his best friends of five years and counting, had been appointed prefects could improve the boy-who-lived's mood, as Draco Malfoy, his sworn enemy of five years and counting, had been appointed prefect of Slytherin, meaning the pureblood prick could make his life hell with the backing of the faculty.

Not that Harry believed for one minute that the professors, most notably Minerva Mcgonagall, would believe the little ponce over him, but Malfoy happened to be on good terms with Severus Snape, who seemed to have it out for Harry simply because he hated the boy's father. It didn't help that, with the exception of his eyes, Harry was the spitting image of the late James Potter.

But now, just as he was resigning himself to a year that would doubtles be as hectic as all the others combined, he'd spotted a familiar, unpleasant face amongst the faculty members, one that he'd last seen sitting at Fudge's right during his hearing, like some bloated bullfrog in a tacky sweater.

All conversation in the great hall came to a halt as Dumbledore stood, his arms stretched wide as if to embrace every student, new and old, welcoming them all once more and for the first time to the most magical place in Britain.

"To our newcomers: Welcome!" the aged professor greeted, his beaming smile soothing the feelings of bitterness in Harry's heart as he looked up at the man "And to our old hands: Welcome back! There is a time for speech-making, but this is not it. Tuck in!"

Quite frankly, Harry wouldn't have minded another long winded speech, the sorting hat's alone had given them all a lot to think of, and anything that could keep him from having to watch Ron gorge himself like a pig was always a plus.

He might be Harry's best friend, but you couldn't have paid the boy who lived to put his hand near the redhead's plate at that moment for fear of losing a finger or three. That, and it was rather disgusting to have to keep wiping chunks of potatoe and other vegetables off his robes when the Weasley teen made the mistake of talking with his mouth full.

Thankfully, the meal ended in due course, the assorted plates vanishing as the house elves whisked them away without setting foot in the grand hall, even as Dumbledore again stood up to address them, running through the usual 'stay out of the forest' speech and once again pointing out that the caretaker, Argus Filch, a sour old Squib that stalked the hallways looking for students to punish, had placed a list of contraband goods on his door which mostly consisted of anything that could be classified as 'fun'.

"We have had two new changes in staffing this year." The headmaster pointed out, nodding his head down the staff table "We are pleased to welcome back professor Grubbly-Plank, who will be taking Care of Magical Creatures lessons." There was a scattering of applause, more enthusiastic from the female students, who hadn't forgotten the time the woman had introduced them to Unicorns. "Our Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor is running a little late, but assures me that he will be here before the end of the day. Tryouts for the Quidditch teams will take place on the…"

Harry blinked, looking up in interest as Dumbledore's voice suddenly halted mid-speech, his eyes widening as the toadlike woman, Dolores Umbridge, stood up from her chair, drawing looks of surprise from the students. These looks paled in comparison to the looks the staff levelled at her, ranging from Professor Sprout's look of shock to Professor McGonagal's thinly pressed lip, a clear sign of ire in the reserved witch. Harry also caught Snape levelling a glare that he'd thought only applied to HIM at the woman, a look of disgust, as if the Potion's Master had stepped in something particularly nasty.

"Ah, yes." Dumbledore spoke up, apparently unbothered by the woman's audacity at interrupting him, though the jovialness of his tone didn't match his eyes "May I also introduce Dolores Umbridge, a representative of the Ministry of Magic who will he overseeing the year as a sign of good faith between Hogwarts and the Ministry."

Silence reigned in the hallway, as if Umbridge was waiting for a round of applause at her introduction. When none came she cleared her throat, an amiable smile on her face that belied the slight scowl that had adorned it seconds before "Thank you, Headmaster," she offered, her voice breathy and decidedly fake "for those warm words of welcome." She cleared her throat again and addressed the audience"Well, it is lovely to be back at Hogwarts I must say!" she smiled, revealing a mouth filled with decidedly pointy teeth "And to see such happy little faces looking up at me-!"

The doors to the great hall slammed open with such force that Professor Flitwick, the charms master, let out a squeak and fell off his chair, everyone in the hall turning round, eyes widening in surprise as they gaped at the figure that stood there.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The man in the doorway was dressed in a long, gold trimmed coat, under which he wore a dark leather shirt and waist coat. His equally dark leggings were trimmed to his tall, lithe frame, and tucked neatly into his black riding boots.

He had a regal, almost noble air about him, as he looked over the assembled wizards and witches with his cold, steel-like blue eyes, his white hair, swept back over his head, shining in the candle light as he looked up at the staff table, his eyes coming to rest on Dumbledore.

Silence reigned in the grand hall as the two men looked upon one another, neither breaking the other's gaze. Then the stranger nodded, walking through the doors towards the staff table, Harry's eyes widening as he espied the sword, a katana he realised from one of Dudley's old video-games, the stranger held in his left hand.

The man walked down the aisles, heedless of the looks of confused awe he was receiving from the students, until he'd reached the steps leading up to the staff table, climbing them at the same sedate, but purposeful pace as before, until he reached the top and was standing before Dumbledore.

"Ah, welcome." The Headmaster greeted, smiling amiably at the yonger man, holding out a hand for them to shake, which the latter accepted after a moment's silence "Please, take a seat."

The man said nothing, but did as he was asked, taking a seat between McGonagal and Dumbledore himself, leaning his weapon against the table despite the disaproving look it received from the Transfiguration Master.

"Well it seems that another introduction is in order." Dumbledore chuckled, his eyes twinkling in merriment as Umbridge, her thunder effectively stolen by the arrival of the man, resumed her seat with a huff, looking absolutely indignant "Students, allow me to introduce your new Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor, Professor Vergil."

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

And there we have it, another madcap idea that has popped into my head, ready for you to criticise.

For those asking, this is set BEFORE the events of DMC3, during the year between the last time the brother's Sparda saw one another and Vergil encountering Arkham in the demonic library.

R&R!

* * *


	3. Sausage Fest

Greetings True Reviewers!

The following is the brainchild of a conversation between and my good friend Sketchfan, one which, admittedly has brought quite a few tears to our eyes simply discussing the insanity it could bring about.

Anywho, if you want to find out what I'm on about, you're going to have to read on aren't you?

* * *

Sausage Fest.

Chapter 1.

Urashima Keitaro sighed as he leant against the windowsill, watching the scenery pass by with a dazed expression on his face.

The nineteen-year-old Ronin had just been kicked, literally, out of his home by his less-than forgiving mother for failing to pass the entrance exams for Tokyo University. The only reason he hadn't been hurled out with naught but the clothes on his back was because his father, Kintaro, had managed to sneak him out his book bag, within which he'd left a credit card for an account he'd prepared in his son's name, and a letter of farewell.

Included in the letter had been the suggestion of asking his venerable grandmother for help, a prospect that sent shivers up the Ronin's spine, as from what little he recalled of the Urashima matriarch, she was most certainly missing a fuse or two. Still, she'd been nothing but kind to him in the past, though her idea of kindness had been to smother him with so much affection he'd almost developed a fear of being touched.

It certainly made his apprehensive around woman in general, as he had first hand knowledge that men weren't the only ones with wandering hands.

So with a heavy heart and not much else, he disembarked from the Hinata express, sweating lightly as the humidity from the surrounding bathhouses forced him to take off his jacket and un-tuck his shirt.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

'Jeez…it's like the devil's jock-strap out here…' the Ronin muttered, walking along the tourist laden walkways with a haggard expression, earning looks of interest from a few, and the occasional kind wave from a local that noticed his resemblance to his late grandfather 'Was it always this hot? I mean I know it's fall but c'mon!'

Sighing in resignation, the bespectacled Ronin pulled out the messy, hand-drawn map his father had supplied him with, which really consisted of little more than a few arrows and a big 'X', before sighing and wondering if he should just ask for directions.

"Excuse me…" he called out, catching the of a tall, regal looking man with what looked suspiciously like a kendo case over his shoulder "I'm looking for Hinata-Sou?"

"A new lodger?" the young man asked, turning to face him, those regal eyes widening in recognition briefly, only to fade as he got a better look at the Ronin "I'm sorry, but are you perhaps related to one of the lodgers?"

"My Grandmother, Hina, is the owner." Keitaro supplied, a little uncomfortable with the admittedly handsome man's scrutiny, bad memories of his senior prom rising unbidden before his eyes.

"Ah, so you're Hina-dono's grandson." The man noted, his eyes widening in surprise, though it was with a pleasant smile on his face "Hina-dono is out at the moment, but I believe Haruka-san is still there."

"Haruka-Baachan?" the Ronin repeated, earning an involuntary shiver from the taller man for the title, as it seemed his aunt (actually his cousin)'s reaction to being mistaken for her mother hadn't changed over the years "Well that's a relief, I was hoping to get settled in today."

"Sadly, I have other matters to attend to so I can't take you there myself." The taller teen offered apologetically, "However, if you head straight down this path you should eventually come to the steps of Hinata House." He smiled helpfully "You can't miss them, they're the largest steps here."

"Thanks again!" Keitaro offered, bowing politely to his rescuer, a smile on his face "OH! My name's Urashima Keitaro."

"Hayasaka Shuusui." The teen greeted, returning the Ronin's polite bow and smiling at him as he walked off "Take care."

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Maybe it won't be so bad here after all…" Keitaro noted, walking down the streets with a slight skip to his step "After all, if the other borders are as nice as that guy…"

Keitaro had always been an underdog of sorts, average grades, average looks, hell he pretty much sucked at everything, with the exception of cooking and cleaning. But then when your parents were local baking legends and you helped out in the store, you soon learned to pull your own weight.

As it stood, Keitaro was currently in the 48th percentile, which normally meant that there was a higher chance of the world ending before he set foot on the hallowed grounds of Tokyo University, which only took the cream of the crop.

Why was the Ronin trying so hard to get in, when any other university could have taken him up you ask? Well it all started fifteen years ago in a sandpit, where he and quite possibly the cutest gurl that ever lived had made a promise to enter Todai together and live happily ever after.

Most people laughed at the Ronin whenever he explained his reasons for trying again and again to gain admission, hell his own MOTHER had whacked him so many times upside the head he'd started to forget what the girl even looked like, which was probably her intent. So whenever the Ronin received a kind word, even in passing, he savored it as much as he could, even if it was simply a greeting, as he got so few of them as it was.

Snapping out of his daze, the Ronin blinked up at the sight of the massive hill he vaguely remembered from his childhood, sweat dropping at the row of dusty, leaf-strewn steps that lead up it in trepidation. True, as a child, he'd enjoyed racing up and down them at breakneck speeds, but back then he'd had the near inexhaustible energy of a child to power him. Anyone that had studied for a college entry exam and failed TWICE would understand his trepidation at being faced with such a hurdle now.

Needless to say, as he finally clawed his way over the last step, looking like he'd tackled Everest in a blizzard without a Sherpa or climbing gear, the Ronin could only bathe in the rustic charm of his Grandmother's old inn as it loomed over him, as proud as a queen in court.

'Place really hasn't changed…' he noted, wincing as he took in the obvious signs of disrepair and weathering on his grandparent's beloved home/business 'Man…business really has been rough…'

Picking himself up, the Ronin entered the establishment with a nervous, but resolved expression on his face, looking around the abandoned hallway in confusion as he tried to find the reception desk.

'Hm…are they on a break?' he wondered, noting that not only was the foyer window closed, but there was a fine line of dust over it, only to dismiss it as he espied several sets of shoes in the entryway, a sure sign that someone, at least, was here.

'Better go straight to Granny's room.' The Ronin resolved, removing his shoes and padding quietly down the hall 'don't want to be mistaken for a prowler or something.'

Sadly, it turned out that Shuusui-kun had been telling the truth, as the Urashima Matriarch was indeed vacant from her chambers. Sighing resignedly, Keitaro set about making himself comfortable in the room, noting how surprisingly tidy it was in comparison to the rest of the house, apparently Granny didn't believe in dust in her private quarters.

"Yo, Urashima-baba…" a loud voice drawled, the startled Ronin lookin up just as a young man with stubble and two-tone black and white hair slid open the door to the landlord's room, dressed in jeans and a biker jacket "You in he-huh? Who're you?"

"Um…my names Urashima Keitaro…" the Ronin offered, nodding politely at the intimidating figure before him "I'm Hina's grandson, I just arrived today looking for a room."

"A new lodger huh?" the man greeted, his face splitting into a lazy, welcoming smile that somehow put the Ronin at ease as he walked into the room "So the old hag had a grandson, who'd a thought?"

'Old hag?' Keitaro repeated, looking up at the uncouth figure in shock, his eyes flicking around the room in case his grandmother was lurking in the wings "Ano…that isn't very polite…"

"Ah Hina-ba don't mind." The figure assured him, dropping down on the mat before the Ronin and waving a hand dismissively "She actually likes it when people aren't formal with her…says formality makes her feel old." He looked the Ronin over carefully, Keitaro crossing his arms before him uncertainly "Scrawny little guy aren't ya?"

"Well excuse me!" Keitaro countered, spiking a little at the guy's insensitivity, flashbacks of his torment in gym class rising unbidden from the depths of his represed memories "So I flunked phys. Ed in high school, who cares?!"

"You flunked Phys. Ed?" the two toned teen repeated, his face stunned, though it quickly turned to a hysterical laugh as he pounded the floor "Oh that's…! That's just…! BUHAHAHAHA!"

"It isn't THAT funny…" Keitaro sniffed, turning his back on the man, looking decidedly put out by his attitude, only to blink as a large hand patted him on the shoulder.

"Sorry man…" the figure chuckled, wiping a tear of mirth out of his eyes with his free hand, still shaking from the laughter "Been a while since I laughed that hard, but still, nothing to be ashamed about if you flunked." He smirked "After all, your High school life is a rosy experience that should be savored, y'know?"

"My High School was anything BUT rosy." Keitaro muttered, slumping slightly at how he was mocked for his poor grades and performance, and how at the dances he was always paired with guys because the girls thought he was icky.

"Ah well, to each his own." The two-toned teen shrugged, shaking his head as he rose to his feet with a grunt "Listen, I'm heading down to the onsen, wanna join me?"

"Sure…" Keitaro agreed, after a moments pause, as he DID smell a little funky after spending half the day in transit "Just lemme get my bathing stuff…er…"

"Tawara." The two-toned teen offered, smiling lazily at the confused Ronin as he stood in the doorway, his jacket over one shoulder, revealing well defined muscles "Tawara Bunshichi."

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Man this feels good!" Bunshichi sighed, sinking into the hot, soothing waters of the Hinata's legendary onsen, a look of contentment on his face that would have drawn questionable looks from the wrong people "Nothing beats an open air bath, right, Keitaro?"

"Uh yeah…" Keitaro muttered, looking a little apprehensive as he eyed the larger teen's muscular physique. Now Keitaro wasn't homophobic or anything, hell he'd been treated better by the gay residents of his school district, from both sexes, than any one of his straight classmates, but there was something about Bunshichi that unsettled him in ways not even the local biker gang had.

It didn't help that, compared to the larger teen's heavily muscled physique, Keitaro looked about as impressive as a lump of play dough.

"So what brings you all the way out here?" Bunshichi asked, leaning back against the edge of the onsen, his elbows resting on the tiles "Don't tell me ya missed the old bat and wanted to visit?"

"Well no, not really." Keitaro admitted with a weak chuckle, rubbing the back of his head. Don't get him wrong, he loved his grandma to bits, but she was the type that needed to be experienced in small doses…with liberal amounts of distance between visits "I actually wanted to ask if she could put me up for a while…my folks kind of tossed me out for failing the entrance exams."

"Ronin huh?" Bunshichi muttered, whistling in appreciation "Dayum but that must suck…only reason I'm here is cause my folks are renovating the shop and they remembered the Hinata from their honeymoon." He grimaced "Needless to say, they asked the old bat to put me in the room they stayed in."

Keitaro grimaced at that, quite used to parental torture on account of his temperamental mother. How his father, a sweeter, kinder man he'd never met, had hooked up with her he'd never know, but suspected his grandmother was involved in some shape or form.

"So what university you bomb out of?" the muscular teen asked, quirking an eyebrow at the Urashima as they lounged in the water "must've been pretty big for your folks to toss you out."

"Tokyo University." Keitaro admitted, ducking his head in embarrassment as Bunshichi quirked an eyebrow "and it wasn't just the first time…I failed the second time and mom refused to put me up for the third."

"I'd have switched to a different college after the first time." The muscular teen muttered, shaking his head in bemusement "Still, Tokyo U, that's a mighty big target you set for yourself there."

"What about you, Tawara-san?" Keitaro asked, looking over at the larger teen with interest, eagre to move the conversation away from how much his life sucked "are you applying to any universities this year?"

"Nah, I got held back because of one thing or another." Bunshichi muttered, stretching his shoulders with an audible pop "My second time actually, mom and pop don't mind one way or the other, but its still a pain having to watch over my uppity kohais now that they're seniors."

"Underclassmen…" Keitaro agreed, chuckling weakly as he recalled how he'd been considered the voice of ridicule even amongst his juniors because of his dorky mannerisms "Can't live with 'em."

"Too true." Bunshichi snorted, lowering himself deeper into the tub, splashing water on his face and shaking his hair like a dog "PHOO! Right, think I'll head out now…"

"Going somewhere?" Keitaro asked, quickly averting his eyes as the larger teen got out of the water, not wanting to be scarred for life any more than he already was.

"Oh me and a couple of friends are having a little get-together to kick off the start of the school year." Bunshichi explained, forgoing a towel in favor of walking directly into the changing room "Just a little hazing s'all, should be back in time for dinner, just let Watanuki know if you need anything."

"Who?" Keitaro wondered, looking up after the muscular teen in confusion, only to find that Bunshichi had already left, the sliding door shut him behind him "Oh well…probably a member of staff…"

That said, the Ronin sighed, sinking into the soothing waters of the bath, letting them wash away all the stiffness that had built up from his trip.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Ara-ara….that isn't safe…" a polite voice cautioned, Keitaro snapping out of his doze as a gentle hand shook him on the shoulder "Falling asleep in the bath isn't good for your health."

"Huh…whuh?" the Ronin stammered, blinking stupidly as he looked around, his vision slightly blurry without his glasses, which he'd set aside before coming into the water.

"Looking for these?" the polite voice asked, the Ronin looking round only to gape as he espied the well endowed young women, dressed in a towel and not much else, holding out his missing spectacles for him "They were in the bucket."

"Th-Thank you!" he squeaked, accepting the glasses and turning around to look the other way, praying to god that he hadn't inadvertently fallen asleep in the women's bath 'Wait…I thought the baths were unisex?' he muttered, only to clamp a hand over his nose at the images this brought up.

"Are you a new lodger?" the female asked, Keitaro's panic rising as he realized that, instead of leaving, the buxom beauty was actually sliding into the water, albeit at a polite distance from him "I thought you were Watanuki-kun for a second before I saw you without your glasses."

"Uh, yeah…" Keitaro stammered, looking anywhere but directly at the angelic beauty as he struggled to fight down his embarrassment…and certain other traitorous parts as well "I'm Urashima Keitaro, Hina's grandson."

"Ah! Hina-san told me she had a grandson around Shuusui's age!" the beauty exclaimed, Keitaro blinking at the familiar name, turning slightly to find her sitting nearby, the water rising just over her assets his eyes widening as he took in her familiar features.

"Um…pardon my assumption…" the mortified Ronin asked, doing his merry best to avoid looking anywhere but the woman's face "But…you and Shuusui-kun wouldn't be…?"

"Twins." The well endowed young woman admitted, her smile oddly infectious "Fraternal twins though, not identical." She beamed at the Ronin, bowing her head slightly in greeting "my name is Ouka."

"P-pleasure to meet you…" Keitaro stammered, bowing his head politely, only to jerk as he realized this gave him a perfect view of what lay beneath the water's surface "GACK! SORRY!" he stammered, splashing about hysterically as he backpedaled "I'll leave you to your bath!"

"Oh don't worry, I'm not embarrassed at all." Ouka assured him, covering her mouth in a light chuckle "After all, Shuusui and I bathe together all the time, so you really haven't got anything I haven't seen before."

'Is she for real?' Keitaro stammered, eyeing the angelic faced woman in disbelief, only to freeze as he backed into something, or rather someone, his hackles rising at the feel of something LARGE pressing against the back of his head.

"Ara! Shuusui-kun! You're home early!" Ouka greeted, smiling serenely at the figure behind the terrified Ronin "Keitaro-san and I were having a nice conversation about you, did you know he was Hina-san's grandson?"

"We met in the street." Shuusui admitted, looking down at Keitaro and smiling reassuringly, Keitaro noting with relief that he wasn't carrying the suspicious looking case from before "Settling in alright, sempai?"

"S-Sempai?" Keitaro stammered, unused to such respect from someone that, had they been in high school, would have walked all over him because of his superior looks.

"You are older than us, aren't you?" Shuusui asked, settling into the water between Keitaro and his sister, much to the Ronin's relief "Hina-dono told us you were applying for university."

"Failed on both tries." Keitaro sighed, shaking his head morosely at having to admit it aloud again, wondering if he was going to have to do this with the other lodgers "I was hoping Granny could put me up while I keep up my studies."

"Such a studious Sempai we have…" Ouka chuckled, earning a blush of embarrassment from the Ronin as she smiled at him "If you need any help at all, just let us know."

"R-right…" Keitaro offered humbly, bowing his head as he backed slowly towards the edge, reaching out for the towels he'd set out there "Um…I'll be going now…thanks for waking me…!"

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ouka chuckled as the Ronin made his escape, smiling mischievously as she thought of how adorable he'd looked. She hadn't had this much fun teasing someone since transferring here.

"Are you alright, nee-san?" Shuusui asked, looking over at his elder twin concernedly as she giggled, "I hope Keitaro-sempai wasn't doing anything…untoward."

"Oh no!" Ouka assured her twin, waving a hand dismissively, "I simply happened across him sleeping in the bath and thought I'd say hello." She giggled again "I thought he was Watanuki-kun at first, thought I'd scare him a bit."

"Nee-san…" Shuusui sighed, shaking his head at his beloved sibling's antics. Ouka might have the face of an angel, but she could be a real devil when she wanted to be.

"Now Shuusui…" the elder Hayasaka crooned, drawing near and hugging her twin to her chest, a smile on her face as "It was just a bit of fun, you know that…" she stroked his hair with her free hand "it gets so lonely when you're not here…"

Quite the devil indeed.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Unaware of the NC-17 scene carrying out behind him, as he was far more interested in putting as much distance between the Hayasakas, more specifically Ouka's smile, and himself as possible, Keitaro staggered out of the dressing room, one foot struggling into his jeans as he fought to buckle himself back up.

"Shuusui-san? Is that you?" a voice called out, the Ronin looking up just in time to avoid running into a gangly teen in an apron that had stepped out into the hall, duster in hand "Eh? Who are you?"

"S-sorry!" the panting Urashima gasped, waving a hand to ward off the younger teen's concern as he leant against the wall "I'm…Urashima Keitaro…Hina's grandson."

"Hina-baasan had a grandson?" the gangly youth wondered, looking the elder teen over in amazement, like he was some sort of museum oddity that had come to life "How strange, she never mentioned you before…"

"I haven't been in touch…" Keitaro admitted between frantic gasps for air, the Ronin slowly catching his breath, sighing deeply as he stepped away from the wall "Are you a lodger here?"

"Eh? Oh! Yes!" the bespectacled youth admitted, a little startled at first, before coughing and giving a slight bow "I'm Watanuki Kimihiro, but most people call me Watanuki."

"Let me guess…" Keitaro asked, looking over the glum looking teen with a hint of understanding in his brown eyes "Parents had a twisted sense of humor?"

"You caught that huh…" Watanuki sighed, shaking his head at how easily his first name had been figured out "My birthday's April First…everyone used to get a kick out of it back in middle school."

"I hear you," Keitaro muttered, a sense of camaraderie washing over the two as he smiled at the younger teen "I STILL get smack because of MY name. Everyone used to ask me about my 'tortoise' or whether I was dating the 'dragon princess'."

The two shared a quiet chuckle, reminiscing on old times with a man that had suffered similar trauma, before snapping back to the present "So when did you get here?" Watanuki asked "Hina-baasan still hasn't returned but I don't mind setting out a plate for you."

"Thank you, Watanuki-kun." Keitaro offered, smiling at the younger teen appreciatively as he did so "I haven't had a bite to eat since getting here…do you know where my Grandmother went?"

"Not really, but she usually gives us a call if she's going to be out late." Watanuki assured him, shaking his head in sudden annoyance "Unlike a certain SOMEONE I know…"

Keitaro blinked, watching as the younger teen muttered on about 'inconsiderate witches' that called him at all hours of the night, idly wondering if Watanuki was experiencing maternal problems of his own.

"Anyway, have you met everybody yet?" Watanuki asked, looking at the older teen inquisitively "There aren't a lot of us here right now but they'll be here for dinner."

"I've already met Tawara-san," Keitaro revealed, shooting an embarrassed look over his shoulder at the doors to the changing rooms "and I just Shuusui-Kun and Ouka-san in the onsen." He added, blushing slightly at the mention of the angel-faced girl, earning an exasperated sigh from the younger teen.

"So you met the Hayasaka twins did you?" Watanuki sighed, shaking his head with the air of an old man as he looked into the older teen's eyes solemnly "Bit of advice, the elder twin has a mischievous streak a mile wide, so you'll want to avoid being alone with her if you can." He shivered slightly "Shuusui-san's REALLY protective of her, if you know what I mean."

Keitaro blinked, as he himself had always been protective of his adoptive sister Kanako, back when they were young, and so couldn't understand why Watanuki would seem so…unnerved by it.

"Anyway," the younger teen muttered dismissively "one of the tenants is off on a training trip with his guardian, make of THAT what you will, and the other hardly ever comes out of his room for anything outside meals and work, so I'll doubt you'll see him anyways." He shrugged "Other than that, the only other tenant it Haruka-san, but she usually bunks down at her café because of the interns she has working for her."

"Interns?" Keitaro repeated, blinking in confusion at the younger teen's choice of words, only to shrug it off, as he'd likely hear the full story at dinner this evening "Thank you, Watanuki-kun, I'll just head up to Grandma's room for now, but if you need a hand…"

"Go on." Watanuki assured him, waving a hand dismissively at the Ronin with a wry smirk as he walked off towards the kitchen "I actually earn my keep here, so cooking for another person really isn't that much of a problem."

"Earn your keep?" Keitaro repeated, blinking after the teen in confusion, only to blink, tapping his fist into his palm "AH! He must work for the in his spare time," he held a hand to his chin as he walked up the steps "maybe Grandma'd let me do the same while I stay…I don't want to come off as a freeloader after all."

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Around Nine o'clock that evening, the sound of a spatula clanging against a frying pan let all the residents know that dinner was on the table, Keitaro walking down the steps, only to bump into a familiar face in the hallway.

"Keitaro?" the woman started with a blink, her eyes widening even as the lit cigarette held between her lips drooped slightly "What're you doing here?"

"Long time no see, Haruka-Baachan." The teen greeted with a smile, only to yelp as the business end of a harisen slapped him upside the head, drawing a trail of blood.

"How many times have I told you not to call me that?" Haruka muttered, her face deadpan as she leveled a miffed glare at her younger cousin. It had been bad enough when her mother, Keitaro's aunt, had died, but the fact that she looked exactly like the late Urashima Yoko had been both a source of anguish and pain for the woman.

"Sorry…Haruka-san…" Keitaro muttered, missing the point entirely due to the naivety of his childhood that had still not worn off despite hitting puberty surprisingly early "Anyway, mom kicked me out, failed the Todai entrance exam one time to many."

Haruka's eyes narrowed at that, but she said nothing on the issue. She had never approved of the woman her Uncle, Keitaro's father, had married, neither had her own mother for that matter, who hadn't made the best impression on them with her bossy ways and her insistence of always being right. The only thing that Haruka had deemed good of the union had been Keitaro, but the bitch had kept the boy on a tight leash even as a child, save for the times he would visit at the Hinata.

Sadly, those childhood days had ended when Keitaro's mother had 'convinced' Kintaro to move out of Hinata, as she hadn't liked being under the watchful eyes of her husbands mother. The last time Haruka had seen her baby cousin had been shortly after her mother's funeral, where the impressionable youth had mistaken her for his deceased aunt due to her uncanny resemblance. Needless to say, Keitaro spent the trip to his new home in a harisen-induced coma.

"Well if you're looking for the old bat you're out of luck." Haruka muttered, removing her cancer stick and exhaling softly "I just got back from dropping her off at the airport, she's off on a world tour of famous hot springs."

"You're kidding!" Keitaro gaped, before slumping on the steps, his face a mask of dejection as he gripped his head in his hands "Man…I have got the WORST sense of timing!"

'No denials here…' Haruka chuckled, recalling the time she had been getting changed in her room after a bath, only for chibi-Keitaro to stumble in, wanting to play, just as she was putting on her underwear. Needless to say it had been a right bitch to get the blood out of the shogi door "Relax though, I'm sure granny won't mind putting you up for a while, at the very least I could do with another hand down at the café."

"Haruka-!" the Ronin wailed, glomping his assumed aunt and burying his head under her breasts, actually staggering the reserved Urashima for a second "I knew you'd help me out!"

"Baka…!" Haruka hissed, her face slightly red as she recalled how her cousin would always hug her like that whenever she saved him from bullies as a child "get off! You're heavy!"

"Heh-heh…sorry…" Keitaro offered, rubbing the back of his head where she'd swatted him sheepishly as he backed away from her fist "Couldn't help myself."

"Baka…" Haruka repeated, though it was with an amused tone as she crossed her arms, taking a drag on her cancer stick even as Watanuki called out for them "Yosh! Coming chore-boy."

"DON'T CALL ME THAT!" Watanuki snapped, sticking his head round the corner, his expression reminding a startled Keitaro of a hissing cat "AND PUT THAT CANCER STICK OUT! IT'LL RUIN YOUR TASTEBUDS!"

"Hai-Hai…" Haruka scoffed, stubbing out the smoke in an ashtray that was resting in the hallway, before leading her clueless cousin into the dinning room.

"Yo, Haruka-san." Bunshichi called out, grinning lecherously up at the elder Urashima from his spot, lounging at the end of the low table "You're looking hot as ever."

"And you're looking as hopeless as ever, Mr. Returning Student." Haruka shot back, smirking dully as Bunshichi snorted, looking proud, of all things, of his title.

"Can't blame a guy for trying, Haruka-san." The stubble sporting teen chuckled, grinning raunchily up at the woman as she took a seat at the end of the table, patting a spot at the head for Keitaro to sit down "Don't ya think, Keitaro?"

"E-Eh?" Keitaro stammered, looking from the grinning, muscular teen to his assumed aunt and blushing scarlet from the peer preassure "That is…I mean-!"

"Tawara-sempai," Shuusui called out, looking pointedly at the older teen from where he sat next to his beaming twin "Please don't speak like that at the table."

"Just saying it as it is, Shuu-chan." Bunshichi countered, his grin widening as the younger Hayasaka stiffened at the nickname "Don't worry though, your sister is completely safe so long as Haruka-san's here to divert my attention."

Keitaro shivered, edging slowly away from the younger Hayasaka as Shuusui's face took on a decidedly dangerous tone, only to blink as Ouka passed him a bowl of rice, her smile positively angelic.

"It's good to have you join us, Keitaro-san." The elder Hayasaka offered, beaming at the flustered Ronin, even as her twin and Bunshichi started posturing, getting in each others faces "Though it was too bad you couldn't stay in the bath a little longer."

Keitaro swallowed, averting his eyes from the girl's devilish smile, missing the frown on his assumed aunt's face, even as Watanuki broke up the ensuing fight between Bunshichi and Shuusui by threatening them with meager portions.

"Anyways…" Bunshichi muttered once everyone had settled down, pulling out a bottle of sake, which looked suspiciously like the type used to welcome in the new school year, from under the table "since we got a new lodger here I think it's best if we have a toast to greet him!"

"We're underage…" Watanuki deadpanned, only to sigh as he was ignored, muttering under his breath about 'muscle-bound gorillas' as he brought out the drinking glasses even as Bunshichi, grinning the entire time, lashed out at the bottle with impressive speed, Keitaro's eyes widening as the neck flew off into the corner, sliced cleanly in two.

"A toast!" the two-toned teen cried out, pouring everyone else a decent sized glass of sake, before keeping the rest of the bottle for himself "To Keitaro! The latest inmate at the sausage fest known as the Hinata Men's Dorm!"

"QUIT SAYING THINGS THAT CAN BE MISTAKEN YOU JACKASS!" Watanuki screeched, even as Ouka and Haruka gave an amused 'Cheers' and downed their own drinks "Shuusui-sempai! Back me up on this!"

Keitaro, his own glass frozen in mid-air, could only sit there, stunned, as the argument around him faded into the distance.

"Men's Dorm?"

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

C'mon! admit it! Who didn't click at the title where I was going with this?

Basically, Hinata, in her usual manic-ness, turned the Hinata into a MEN'S dormitory because she lost the game of Janken over it. How she lost to her own Shadow is beyond even MY cognitive capabilities.

Also, some of you may have noticed a few familiar names here, that is because the men in Love Hina, with the possible exception of Seta, are nowhere near manic enough to replace the Hinata Harem. So I drew on other sources.

Those that think this one is worthy of becoming a fic in it's own right, send me your answers via review!

* * *


	4. NGE: Seven Deadly Sins

Yet another completely random idea that's been swimming around in my head.

Seriously, I should charge rent sometimes...considering how long these have ben up there.

enjoy!

* * *

First Sin.

_Second impact…The day the whole world went to hell…Literally._

_Well alright maybe not literally, but pretty damn close right? I mean the Antarctic was blown to bejeezus and back, so we got a brand spanking new red sea where the cute little penguins should be. Not that I care for the little bastards, should've flown away like real birds if ya ask me. On top of that, the planet was thrown off it's freakin obit like a drunken redheaded stepchild in a blender, so the seasons are stuck on repeat, which pissed off the tourist quite a bit lemme tell ya._

_What was I forgetting…Oh yeah; and like a bazillion people turned to cranberry juice…the pulpy kind...not a good day in dullsville._

_What caused this you ask? Hell if I know, someone said that the research team up there found something they shouldn't, others say it was a nuclear war. The loonies insist it was an act of god._

_I know what you're saying, you heard it a million tines before, 'The End is nigh!' 'Repent thy sins!' 'Gimme change for cheap hooch!', who hasn't? There's probably a few camped outside your door right now, all moaning groaning and smoking something that sure as hell ain't legal for 'medicinal purposes'._

_Funny thing is? The loonies were right that time._

_Where was I…oh yeah! Rather than simply curling up and dieing like the whipped little bugs they were, the human race chose, once again, to spit in the eye of adversity and do what they do best. Regroup, adapt, and start blaming someone else for what happened._

_Long story short, a lot more people died, sadly, not the ones whose deaths could've prevented what was about to happen next._

_Our story Kicks off in a little place I call Tokyo 2, the new capital of Japan, post 2__nd__ impact, or what many people continue to refer to it as 'the day the world got fucked'…_

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ikari Shinji, age thirteen, reclusive, withdrawn, the kind of person that has a giant invisible neon sign flashing over his head with the words 'kick me' on it.

But can you blame the kid? Mother dead, his sole living parent abandons him shortly after without so much as a 'fuck off'. Spent the next few years being traumatized by other relatives, only barely managing to escape the road to emo-dom by deciding to take a 'non-committal' stance on life. If the poor kid got run over by a truck, he'd be more concerned with inconveniencing the driver and clean-up crew than the color of underwear he was wearing.

Now here he is, in the reformed capital of what used to be the technological superpower of the world…and it's completely deserted.

Which made asking for direction one HELLA pain in the ass.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Shinji sighed as he set the phone back down, having listened to the recorded message that was blaring over the speakers around him for some time now. 'Looks like the trains and phones are out too.' He muttered, looking around in exasperation, making his way to the steps with a sigh 'This always happens when I've got to be somewhere…am I cursed or something?' he sat on the steps with a huff, 'And shelter? Where the hell is that supposed to be? And why need 'em? Did a war break out while I was en route?'

Shaking his head, he pulled a much handled envelope from his pocket, staring at its contents for what had to be the umpteenth time that week. The contents were nothing special, a train ticket, coach of course, what looked like a printout of some ID card, and one word 'Come'.

'What in the world could father want with me?' Shinji wondered, head lowered and a morose look on his face. This changed to a look of bemusement as he pulled out a photo that had been included, sweat dropping at the sight of a VERY attractive woman in short-shorts and a swimsuit, complete with comments regarding her…assets. 'And just what is SHE to my father anyways?'

"Now THAT is one, hot tamale." A voice noted in his ear, Shinji letting out a decidedly feminine shriek as he noticed, too late, the person crouching beside him, a shark-like grin on his face as he leered at the photo "So you like 'em big huh? Kids grow up so fast!"

Shinji stammered out in protest, getting a decent look at the man for the first time, blinking in surprise as he did so. He was tall, obviously foreign, with short, spiky black hair and a strong jaw, above which sat a mouth filled with sharp, shark-like teeth, which were still leering at him at full power. He wore a skintight muscle-shirt under a leather biker jacket with the sleeves cut off, a pair of black pants that looked easy to move in and combat boots. A pair of sunglasses sat perched over his nose, hiding his eyes from the teen and making the eerie smile all the more unsettling.

"Hey I ain't chastising ya kid!" the foreigner assured him, patting the stunned teen on the back and holding up the dropped picture, whistling in appreciation "Hot bod like that, anyone with two brain cells in their head would look, even queers."

"A-ano…" Shinji managed to get out at last, taking the picture back and stuffing it into his back pocket, not too harshly as he looked up at the stranger with a hint of hope "A-Are you…a resident by any chance?"

"Of this dump?" the foreigner asked, the smile dropping into a small frown as he shook his head "Nah, just blew in myself, figured I'd take in the sights, grab a beer or ten, scope out the red light district…" he smirked at the teen "Wanna tag along?"

"N-NO!" Shinji balked, eyes wide and face red at the very idea, staring at the man like he was mad, flush deepening as the foreigner tilted his head back and laughed, still crouching next to the teen.

"You're a funny kid." The foreigner chuckled, grinning down at Shinji before holding out his right hand to help the teen up "So I guess you're new in town too huh?" he asked, smirking and titling his head towards a rather impressive looking bike "Sure ya don't wanna come along? Not too friendly around these parts."

"N-no…Thank you." Shinji replied, still a little embarrassed at the ribbing he'd gotten earlier, before clearing his throat and pointing to his bags "I'm…waiting for someone…the woman in the photo actually."

"Hot DAYUMN you work fast!" the foreigner applauded, leer back in full force much to Shinji's embarassment, only to pause, frowning as a thought came to mind "Wait…this isn't one of those sick, inter-family things...is it?"

"OF COURSE NOT!" Shinji practically exploded, his face a magnificent magenta at the very idea that someone would ask such a question in public, the fact they were the only ones in the street nonwithstanding "SHE WORKS FOR MY FATHER!"

"So you're daddy's a pimp?" the foreigner asked, the smirk on his face driving the teen up the wall, before ruffling his hair "Calm down I'm kiddin'…" he got to his feet, smirking the entire time "you take care yourself kid."

"I'm not a kid." Shinji muttered, turning his head to the side stubbornly, only to blink as the man snorted.

"Well you didn't tell me your name so what else am I gonna call ya?" the tall man shot back, his smirk ever present as he tilted his head slightly, causing Shinji to blink, before shaking himself in confusion.

"Um…Shinji." the teen stammered out uncertainly, looking at the man's back as he turned to face the teen once more, clearing his throat and trying again, more confidently "My name is Ikari Shinji."

"Shinji huh?" the man repeated, as if rolling the word over in his head, lips firm as he thought it over "Not a bad name as name's go" he muttered, before turning on his heel and waving over his shoulder "Ja-na!"

"A-Ano!" Shinji called out, struck by a sudden, indescribable urge to know more about the strange man, some internal instinct sayign he was a little different from most "Y-you…didn't say…YOUR name…sir?"

"I didn't, did I?" the man replied, not turning to face the teen as he walked towards the monster of a bike "I'm stingy with things like that…cause I'm a real GREEDY bastard."

He mounted the mechanical beast and started it up, giving the teen a mocking salute before revving off down the street, faster than should be advisable even with a helmet, which he certainly wasn't wearing.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Shinji could only gaze after the echoes of the bike's engine as the machine, and its rider, faded from view. For the most part he was glad the man was gone, mentally patting himself down in case something had been stolen while they were conversing. Another, less indulged part of him however, envied the way the man had come and gone, as if he had no ties to anything, and nothing to drag him down. Checking his watch, he was trying to decide whether to wait a little longer or look for this so called shelter, when a bizarre sight caught his eye.

A girl, in a white and green school dress, stood not too far down the road. It could have been the glare of the sun reflecting off the road, but her skin looked decidedly pale, a stark contrast to her blue hair and Red eyes, which seemed locked on Shinji's startled frame. 'Albino?' he wondered, recalling a documentary rerun he'd watched at his guardian's describing the condition 'How long has she-!'

He trailed off as a flock of birds decided to take wing at just that second, startling the teen as he looked to see where they'd gone, only to turn back and find the girl had vanished.

'Okay…' he muttered, backing slowly away from the steps, clutching his bag to his chest like a comforter 'No-one told me Silent Hill relocated…' he stumbled as a sonic boom erupted over head, covering his ears and staring in shock as an F-16 flew in low, launching cruise missiles at something he couldn't see.

"SHIT! A war DID break out!" the teen exclaimed in terror, looking around desperately for shelter, only to stare in awe at the figure stepping out of a cloud of smoke and debris, virtually unharmed by the missiles that had collided with it, it's white, mask-like face looming overhead.

Before the teen could figure out what to do, several VTOL's appeared out of the woodwork, blasting the monstrosity with everything they had, only to be swatted out of the sky by what looked like a beam of energy from the beast's palm.

"HOLY SHIT!" Shinji screamed, making a run for it as one of the crafts fell towards his position, smashing into the pavement and filling the area with flying, blazing shrapnel. Just as he crossed his arms in a feeble, instinctive bid to shield himself, the worst of the blast was blocked by the timely arrival of a blue sports car, the door opening to reveal a purple haired woman in a black dress and shades.

"Sorry to keep you waiting Shinji!" the woman called out, an apologetic tone despite the urgency in her voice, "C'mon, get in!"

You didn't have to tell Shinji twice, he clambered into the passenger's seat, just as the woman tore out of there like greased lightning, taking corners on two wheels and hardly touching the brakes.

"Sorry I'm late." She offered again, to which Shinji offered his own apology, struggling to get his seatbelt buckled whilst simultaneously hanging onto the seat for dear life.

"W-what is that thing?" he managed to get out, staring out the window at the giant once he was securely fastened down, blinking as she shot him a look.

"You're awfully calm given the circumstances…" she muttered, a deadpan expression on her face that faded to a determined frown "And that THING," she explained "Was an Angel."

Shinji would have asked her to clarify were it not for the fact a stray cruise missile took out the street right in front of them.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Whew!" the foreigner whistled, looking over his shoulder at the battle between the titan and the Japanese military with wry amusement He snorted, watching the mockery of a battle with a detached smirk on his face, like the valiant deaths of countless soldiers meant little to him.

"Sheesh, you think they'd know better by now." He muttered derisively, sitting sidesaddle with his legs stretched out, calmly lighting a cigarette as he watched on "When giant green monsters invade, ya don't send the army, ya send in a giant mech."

At that moment, something shoulder tackled the beast, sending it flying back a few blocks, before seemingly turning it's back to it. "Okay…" he muttered, cocking an eyebrow at the barely visible form through the dust "So they got a mech…well whadd'ya gonna do…this is Japan after all."

He watched on as the beast regained it's footing, before promptly opening up a can of Godzilla whup-ass on the mech, sending it reeling with a shoulder rush, followed swiftly by a boot to the head, flipping the mech head-over-asshole into a building. "'Kay, scratch that," he muttered, a little amused despite himself "Forget the mech, put having a decent ass pilot behind the controls the top priority."

He looked on impassively, watching as the titan approached its downed foe, only to blink as the street opened up, revealing a service elevator big enough to carry the mech, who promptly hauled chassis out of there, the street closing up again. "Pfffttt, wuss." He muttered, shaking his head as he watched the titan just stand there like a retarded puppy. "And what's his deal? He could at least scream out in victory or something." He frowned, the cigarette between his teeth titling slightly in thought "Waitaminute…Army slaughtered…Mech owned…what was the next step again?"

His eyes barely had time to widen before everything went white.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"You see that!" one of the three JSDF commanders crowed, jeering at the screen which showed the complete destruction of a sizeable part of the city, as well as, it appeared, the giant attacker "THAT'S the power of an N2 mine!"

"You do know what this means, don't you Ikari?" another member noted, his arms crossed smugly before him as he spoke to the silent head of NERV "With this, the EVAs are no longer necessary!"

"We're picking up energy readings from ground zero!" a bespectacled bridge bunny called out, clutching his headphones tightly as the screen before them spiked, visuals returning to reveal not only was the creature still there, but compared to the surrounding area, had suffered little more than a bad case of sunburn, evident from the way it's outer shell was peeling aside to reveal a new, unblemished one.

"No effect…at all?" the once jubilant officer gaped, an enraged scowl on his face "Our trump card…an entire city…for NOTHING?!"

The third and final officer merely answered the phone at his elbow, face impassive as he looked upon the regenerating monstrosity with a scowl "…I understand…" he uttered at length "Good day sir."

Hanging up, he looked down upon the visage of a bearded, sunglass-wearing man in a black suit with red shirt. He fought down the urge to scowl; disgusted at the fact such a worm was about to be put in charge of man's last hope.

"Ikari," he said at length, face the epitome of military disciplinary training "Effective immediately, Command authority for this operation has been transferred to you." He frowned, holding his hands before him "The entire U.N military force admits it's ineffectiveness against the angels…Ikari, do you REALLY think you stand a better chance?"

"But of course…" the bearded commander of NERV replied, pushing up his sunglasses with a gloved hand, a mocking look in his eyes as me smiled at the officers "after all, THIS is the very PURPOSE of NERV."

Needless to say, it was a good thing weapons weren't allowed on the bridge, or the commander would have received a bullet between the eyes for his posturing.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Misato-san…" Shinji spoke out, trying not to think about the pilfered batteries that were resting in the back seat of the wrecked sports car "Do you know…why my father summoned me here?"

After all, Ikari senior hadn't exactly shown much interest in the fruit of his loins for god knows how long, hell, so far as things had gone, the two were strangers were it not for the names on the medical certificate.

Bastard hadn't even paid child support, something that the authorities frowned upon, and certainly gave the neighbors plenty to gossip about.

"Perhaps you'd be better off asking him yourself." Misato replied, adding the finishing touches to her makeup with a smile, which fell slightly as the boy slumped in his seat, his posture one of resignation, like a prisoner on death row "You don't like talking about him…do you?"

"It's not that," Shinji assured her, though in truth he truly DIDN'T like talking about his neglectful sire "It's just really inconvenient…and besides, we'll probably end up fighting anyways."

He trailed off in surprise as light flared around him, gaping down in shock at the first glimpse of the geo-front, something he'd only heard of in newspaper reports and newscasts.

"Our secret base of operations, NERV headquarters." Misato revealed, a proud smile gracing her features "The keystone of the restoration of the world…and humanities last stronghold."

Shinji, despite a glaring skepticism as to the safety of a facility built beneath a city under siege, couldn't help but gaze down at the lush greenery that surrounded the pyramid-like structure.

Of course, after an hour of walking through the deserted hallways of said pyramid, Shinji reached the highly educated conclusion that Misato was as clueless as he was as to the layout of the place.

'Seriously, a map on the wall would help a lot.' The teen noted, a deadpan expression on his face as they entered the same corridor for what had to be the tenth time in as may minutes. He turned his gaze towards Misato, trying to get a look at the clipboard she was putting all her attention into, only to sigh as she moved ahead, lowering his gaze in resignation, letting it rest on her shapely behind for a few minutes and blushing slightly.

"You two! Where are you going?" an annoyed voice called out, the two turning to face a blonde woman in a lab coat as she exited an elevator, a frown on her face that caused Misato to tremble with embarrassed fear.

"R-Ritsuko…" the purple haired woman greeted, a weak smile on her face as she waved at the annoyed blonde "We were just on our way to-"

"You're LATE, Captain Katsuragi." The woman, Ritsuko, cut in, stepping forwards with her hands in her lab coat "So late I had to be sent to find you." Her frown deepened "We have neither the time NOR the personnel for this nonsense!"

"Sorry!" Misato offered, sticking out her tongue and scratching the back of her head in embarrassment "Still haven't got the layout memorized…"

Ritsuko sighed, before turning to regard the youth at Misato's side, who was looking at her in confusion "Is this the 3rd child?"

Shinji blinked, wondering what the hell the woman was on about as he introduced himself. 'Dad probably had an affair or something.' He noted dismissively 'But then…wouldn't I be the 1st? Or did he have kids BEFORE he got married?'

He was so lost in his thoughts he didn't give it much thought as Misato took his hand and lead him after Ritsuko, missing the conversation between the two as he tried to come to grips with this latest predicament.

Though he snapped out of his thoughts rather quickly after he nearly fell off the boat, reeling away from the side gripping Misato tightly as he stared at the dark liquid below. "Easy there sport." The captain teased, steadying him with a coy smile "You sure work fast don't'cha?"

Shinji flushed and looked the other way, only to blink as he espied what appeared to be a giant hand sticking out of the wall, grasping motionlessly, like a statue. 'What the hell have I gotten into?' he wondered, blinking as the boat came to a stop, following the two women up a flight of steps into a darkened room, sticking close to Misato the entire time.

Ditzy or not, the woman seemed to have his best interests at heart, or at least wanted to keep him alive, which was a definite plus. Though as the lights came on, revealing the giant, horned face of the robot from earlier, he dimly wondered if sticking around was such a good idea.

"Is this…" he began, after listening to Ritsuko's explanation about the robot, the Evangelion, staring up at the bio-mech's armored face with a hint of woderment "part of my father's work?"

"Correct." A cold, emotionless voice called out, drawing the teen's attention to a figure standing behind a glass sheet, one hand in his pocket as he gazed down at the teen "It's been a while…Shinji."

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sachiel stood in the crater that had once been a city like a living statue, skin shifting as the fried epidermis was pushed aside, the wet, newer layer of skin pulsing slightly beneath it.

It could sense its goal not far ahead, and the Lillum that had sought to detain it, to hinder it. It could sense the abomination as well, the corrupted, mockery of Adam's form that the Lillum had sent to waylay it.

Shifting its muscles, the 3rd angel tore through the skin that had born the brunt of the N2 Mine, casting it aside like a snake as it pressed onwards on its mission. It would reach the Lillum city in a matter of moments, and there was nothing they could do to stop it.

At least ten blocks away from the Angel, a spark of electricity ignited, followed by a sudden burst of wind, revealing a pair of sunglasses under the dirt.

"Ow..."

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

And there we have it.

Going by the title and the hints dropped, I'm certain you can all guess what this is a cross with.

No, the brothers Elric willnot be making an appearance.

Review plz!

* * *


	5. FateStay Moon

Two in one sitting! I need lay off the coke...

Anyways, as my good pal Sketchfan can attest, this one is certainly something to look forward to, if I get around to posting it.

enjoy.

* * *

First Night.

_He comes from far away...From the depth of the darkness he continues to wander…_

_Soon, the void of the darkness is interrupted by something..._

_The Darkness is engulfed by the Light…the light covers the darkness, and the darkness is no more._

_Then the light and the darkness are one. The light makes light, and the dark makes darkness._

_I seek the darkness...and before long..._

_...he and I will become one..._

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It had all happened so fast, no one knew what had hit them until it was over, and by then there were no survivors left to voice their complaints or to put that knowledge to use.

Crystal Tokyo had taken the brunt of the bombardment, the streets were littered with crystalline statues that, at one point, had been living, breathing human beings, frozen in the act of living out their normal lives by the very invaders that had targeted their home world, the fact that only an odd few were frozen in the act of fleeing testament to how sudden the attack had been.

All around the world, the rest of the cities were in a similar state of disaster, people frozen, turned into living crystal by whatever dark magic the enemy had employed, their faces unaware of the horror around them, almost as if time had stopped for them all.

It certainly hadn't done anything good for the sky, as whatever dark magic had been employed had made it so it always appeared to be twilight, an aurora comparable to the Northern Lights, but with an unnatural, almost sinister beauty traversing the heavens in place of the more familiar stars.

And so we turn our gaze towards the Crystal palace, once a haven of good and magical scholastics, now an empty, ghost torn memorial that was being desecrated as we speak.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"This was WAY too easy," a curly haired redhead scoffed, standing in the middle of the battle-torn throne room of Crystal Tokyo, her hands on her hips as she shook her head in amusement "Hell I coulda taken these chumps on myself."

"I hardly consider the death of THREE of our comrades getting off easy, Nergal." A cold, intellectual voice pointed out, the speaker a dark-blue haired girl with a page-boy cut, one side trailing past her chin, the other cut short as she stood to the side, arms crossed before her as she regarded her hotheaded comrade with her usual intellectual indifference.

"S'their own faults for letting their guard down!" the redhead, Nergal, countered hotly, looking off to the side with a dismissive snort, before turning her crimson eyes towards the chilly academic "And what the hell do you care, Nabu? You didn't like them much anyways."

"My personal opinions matter little when our objective is in plain sight." Nabu countered, flicking a cold look towards the redhead, making it clear she didn't think much of HER either "The fact that those three allowed themselves to fall for such an obvious trap severely jeopardizes our mission."

"Nobody was expecting Saturn to pull a kamikaze." A tall brunette countered, her long ponytail trailing down her back as she stood to Nergal's left, one hand resting on her hip as she frowned "Still, those idiots didn't have to walk right into it."

"Can't we, like, just bring them back with the Ginzuishou?" a pretty blonde chirped, standing with her fingers entwined behind her back as she balanced on her heels to Nabu's right.

"Why bother?" Nergal scoffed, shaking her head and waving a hand dismissively "I mean if they're stupid enough to all be taken out by the same attack, there's no point in wasting vital energy in bringing 'em back."

"As much as it pains me to admit it, I have to agree with Nergal's logic." Nabu stated, earning a smug look from the redhead "Though in truth I find it doubtful that any one gem can really do as much as revive the dead, I see no reason to waste the time or power it would require to do so.

"At the very least they completed their objectives before they croaked." A fifth voice spoke up, the speaker another blonde, this one with her hair done up in long pigtails with red bows, a pink, upside down heart shaped crystal was clipped to the front of her outfit, and unlike her counterparts, who all bore a stone related to their colour scheme embedded in their headbands, hers looked like some sort of Star Trek knock-off "The outers could've been a real problem if we hadn't neutralized them first."

"Caught them doing the nasty!" the bubbly blonde giggled, twirling on her heals as she recalled the lovers' looks of shock as they were turned into naked, entwined statues in the middle of their love nest "I put 'em on display in the garden!"

"Still no sign of Pluto though." The brunette pointed out, a scowl crossing her features as she muttered under her breath at the blonde's antics "She's supposed to control time itself, you think she saw this coming?"

"A possibility." Nabu agreed, though by her tone it was clear she didn't believe the last of the Senshi possessed such a formidable power "Though if so, why would she wait so long before making her move?"

"Maybe she, like, sent a robot or something back in the past to stop us!" the blonde suggested enthusiastically, face lighting up with eagerness, earning deadpan looks from her comrades as they gaped at her.

"I…sincerely doubt that, Ishtar." Nabu muttered, shaking her head whilst rubbing between her eyes, trying to fend off the migraine that usually formed when the blonde said something extraordinarily stupid. Off to the side, Nergal was snorting in wry amusement, while the brunette coughed into her fist, trying to hide her amusement and failing.

"Enough," A regal voice called out, the girls turning to face their leader, who sat upon the throne once occupied by Neo Queen Serenity with all the arrogance of a conqueror, her right hand supporting her cheek with her fingers as she looked down at them impassively.

She was beautiful, it couldn't be denied, her long, white hair trailing down her back, positioned so that it curved over her lap to avoid sitting on it and STILL trailing on the floor in an elegant waterfall, framing her pale face perfectly as she regarded her subjects with her crimson eyes, one partially hidden by her hair. Her dress was unusual, covering her long legs completely up to the hips, before branching up and back like some blooming flower, leaving her upper torso exposed save for the silk covers over her breasts, held in place by a large emerald gem attached to the choker on her neck.

"Sin." She called out, addressing the pig-tailed blonde, the apparent leader of the group, even as they bowed before her reverently, hands over their breasts "Have all the inhabitants been…neutralized?"

"Of course, Apsu-sama…" the blonde assured the woman, her tone revenant and utterly submissive "The Sailor Senshi and Royal family fell much sooner than we anticipated, all that is left that we locate the Ginzuishou, so that you may correct the destiny of the world to it's proper path."

"The Ginzuishou…" Apsu repeated, almost reverently, a lock of white hair trailing from her head to cover one of her eyes "after so long…I can almost taste it…" she frowned and looked up, leveling a glare at her servants "Find it." She demanded "I don't care where they've hidden it, it CANNOT have left this castle!"

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Usa gasped as she ran down the street, eyeing the crystalline forms around her fearfully, recognizing the odd familiar face here and there, which made running past them all the harder. Stumbling slightly in her tattered, muddy dress, the pinkette pulled up short, ducking into a side alley just in time to avoid a passing searchlight as it drifted past, sinking down to the floor with an exhausted sigh.

'They're all gone…' she whispered, her knees drawn up to her chest despite the confines of her dress, wrapping her arms around them as she fought back the tears 'Mom…Dad…everyone…'

It had been an ordinary day at the Crystal Palace, Usa had gotten up, breakfasted with her parents before they went off to attend some meeting with delegates from overseas, deciding to skip out on her advanced magic tutorials to hang out with the Senshi, all of whom enjoyed her company as much as her mother's, but more specifically, to meet up with her closest friend, Sailor Saturn.

The two of them had been having a quick lunch in the garden, nattering away about this and that without a care in the world when Artemis, in his human form, had finally tracked them down, looking miffed that Usa had skipped out on lessons again, though he couldn't help but smile at how similar she was to her mother, as even to this day the queen would come up with any excuse to skip out on important functions.

They were just about to invite the humanized Mau to join them when the attack began, Saturn putting up a Silence Wall to ward off the bursts of emerald energy that crystallized everything they touched. Usa, her eyes wide with shock, had watched as Artemis, who had shoved them out of the path of the original barrage, was turned into a statue right before her eyes, frozen in the same desperate lunge he'd used to push her out of the way.

When the bombardment stopped, Saturn had grabbed her arm and dragged the princess down the halls of the castle to the throne room, the designated evacuation point for the royals and ambassadors while the Senshi and guards raced about, the sounds of battle echoing throughout the normally tranquil hallways. Their way was beset with the occasional statue, as apparently the enemy had handheld versions of whatever weapon had been used earlier, and more often than not entire wings of the palace had to be avoided as stray bursts of energy flew from them.

It wasn't until they actually came to the throne room, the doors slamming open to admit them despite their size, did Usa realized that they were in trouble.

Her father stood before her, sword drawn and raised above his head in obvious challenge to the horde of Youma that stood between him and his opponent, who Usa couldn't quite make out from where she was standing, but was clearly a woman judging by her figure alone. The King of Crystal Tokyo leapt, lashing out with his sword and sending the occasional sphere of magical energy into the horde, the monsters falling to his blade and skill with relative ease, the King clearing the horde with a single, awe inspiring leap as he descended on his true foe from above, bringing his sword down in a double handed, overhead slash that would, surely, cleave the sorceress in twain.

Sadly, it appeared nobody appreciated the classics anymore, as the woman had merely lifted a hand and blasted Endymion with a burst of emerald light, blinding everyone in the room in the process. Though as she blinked the sparkles from her eyes, and locked on to the shattered statue at the woman's feet, Usa couldn't help but wish she'd been rendered blind.

"Such a waste…" the woman had sighed, her tone seemingly oddly saddened by the loss of the King "I was hoping to get the complete set for my new rock garden." She shook her head with a dismissive shrug "Oh well…Enki, Enlil, Ninurta."

Three figures appeared behind her, decked out in dark bodysuits, one with Dark Blue mixed through and short Blonde hair, another with a light green motif and Aquamarine hair that trailed down her back, and the last with dark purple and black hair that ran to her chin.

"See to the rest…" the white haired woman ordered, not even turning to regard Saturn and Usa as she made her way towards the Ginzuishou chamber with a cold smile "I have a Queen to dethrone."

"Hai, Apsu-sama." The three women uttered, hands placed over their hearts as they raised their heads to glare at the duo in the doorway, "They are ours."

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Saturn had wasted no time, pulling Usa to her side and teleporting to the other side of the castle, coming to a halt in the royal gardens, before leading her towards a particular patch of wall. "You must hurry. Usa-chan." The teenage senshi urged, pushing aside a conveniently placed shrub to reveal a small hole, too large for an adult, but more than enough for Usa's frame "Go through here and don't stop running!'

"But what about you?" Usa exclaimed, the pinkette's blue eyes widening with fear for her friend, clutching at the purple-eyed teen's shoulders in fear as she tried to drag her through the hole with her "Aren't you coming too?"

"I am duty bond to protect the Serenity line." Saturn informed her, a sad smile forming as she stroked her friend's cheeks "As such, it is my duty to ensure your safety, both as a Senshi…and a friend."

"Ru-chan…" Usa stammered, only for Saturn to push her through the tunnel, the Senshi of Silence erecting a silence wall over the escape hole before racing back to face their foes, who were just teleporting in. Usa, wanting to help but knowing there was nothing she could do against the Silence Wall, could only look on in shock as Saturn faced off against the three intruders alone, the Silence Glaive clashing against the black haired foe's scythe, the other two coming up from behind with a trident and claymore held at the ready.

But Saturn merely fired a blast of energy from her hands, knocking the would be ambushers off their feet before whipping her glaive into complicated circles, pressing her opponent whilst fending off sneak attacks from the other two.

But even though Saturn was considered the most powerful of the Senshi, the odds were still three on one, and while normally she could mow down swathes of Youma with a single sweep of her glaive, these women were not Youma, and proved it by weaving under her strikes and launching counters of their own.

"NO!" Usa screamed, as the one with the trident managed a lucky shot, stabbing her friend in the back and disrupting her rhythm long enough for the other two to swoop in, grinning eagerly "NO! HOTARU!"

Saturn, as if hearing her despite the wall of silence between them, had looked in her direction and smiled, blood trailing from her lips as she closed her eyes, before deliberately letting go of her Glaive.

The resulting explosion as the weapon landed knocked Usa to the floor, filling the area with light as the magical barriers that were erected around the palace flared, trying to contain the magical energy that could wipe out the planet, a safety precaution Mercury had devised to prevent the citizens of Crystal Tokyo from suffering from a magical experiment gone wrong.

The chaotic energy raged within it's confinement like a wounded, rabid beast, the wards flashing violently, several cracks appearing in the barrier, for it had never been designed to handle this much stress, a small crack appearing on the roof of the dome that sent a stream of the energy into the sky, the barrier finally giving way as Saturn's final attack blasted into the heavens instead of into the earth.

When the light cleared, the gardens had been reduced to nothing but barren earth, Usa looking on in horror as she gazed at the silence glaive, the only thing that remained, as it lay embedded in the earth at an angle.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

She'd run, unable to do anything else but turn on her heels and flee the scene, waving through the streets like a madwoman, the unnatural aurora shining down on her terrified form from on high.

'Everyone's gone…' she breathed, trembling as she hugged her knees close to her chest, her bubblegum pink hair rustling in the slight breeze as she shivered, wishing she'd thought to dress warmly before going to breakfast 'Mama…Papa…the Senshi-!'

She trailed off, eyes widening as she recalled that there was ONE Senshi that didn't frequent the palace, for the simple fact that she preferred her own company, and that she was duty bound to constantly be on the lookout for natural disasters.

"Plu-!" she realized with a gasp, rising to her feet, hope shining in her eyes as she remembered how the Senshi of Time had allowed her passage to the past all those years ago "If I can just slip back through the gates, we can fix this!"

The problem was that the Gates of time existed in a pseudo-space outside of time, and only Pluto and Neo-Queen Serenity, Usa's mother, could travel their of their own volition. As a member of the Serenity line, Usa had the potential to do so as well, but only a crowned queen could bypass the wards that protected the gates.

"Or someone with as much powers as one!" the princess reasoned, a plan hatching in her bubblegum pink head as she got to her feet, racing back towards the castle walls in order to locate the palm sized silver gem that seemed to glow with an eternal light, the self-same gem that the invaders were even now ransacking the palace to find.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"GODDAMIT!" Nergal swore, tossing aside yet another chest of jewels that, while pretty and valuable, might as well have been fakes for all the use they were "Where the hell could that hunk of stone be?!"

"OOH Pretty!" Ishtar chirped, decked out in ropes of pearl, jade earrings, a woven gold necklace fitted with rainbow tinted opals, more rings adorning her fingers than even the most gaudy pimp would consider necessary "Venus has good taste!"

"Focus, Ishtar." Nabu ordered, entering the Senshi of love's chambers with an old, dusty tome in one hand, running her eyes over it with interest "Hmm…the original scripts of Darwin…to think she kept such rare things where anyone could see them."

"Uh hello?!" Nergal snapped, a hint of fire dancing in her eyes as she glared at the chilly academic "Trying to find the fucking ginzuishou here! So put that moldy old thing down and start tossing!"

"Philistine." Nabu muttered, shooting the redhead a glare that could, and had, freeze Mercury solid "If you'd take your time you'd note that you've been tearing through her jewelry closet, I highly doubt the Senshi of Venus, no matter HOW flamboyant, would have the gall to hide a gem the likes of the Ginzuishou amongst her finery…or ANY of the Senshi for that matter."

"Then why the hell're we tearing through their rooms?!" Nergal snarled, looking ready to explode as she tried to rip apart a dress that appeared to be woven of silvery thread and failing abysmally "Apsu-sama's-!"

"Not going to die if we take our time to savor our own spoils." Nabu cut in, snapping the aged tome shut and marking her place, before tucking the book under her arm "And what's the rush? Did you not claim that our would-be foes were 'too easy' and that you could 'take them yourself'?"

"'course I coulda taken them!" Nergal snapped, punching a hand into the wall and leaving a good-sized dent "Those senshi were soft! They let themselves go, thinking they were the big fish in the pond, spending more time at parties than training like we did!"

"And yet Sailor Mars managed to hold you off on her own." Nabu pointed out, cutting the redhead off with a superior smirk "You even had the nerve to take her on yourself, and you STILL had to resort to calling in troops for back-up."

"SH-SHUT UP!" Nergal snapped, the tomboy flushing scarlet and marching off with her head held high, only to bump into the green clad brunette as she enterred "Watch where you're going dammit!"

"Nothing in Jupiter's chambers either." The brunette reported, shaking her head in dismissal and stepping past the fuming redhead "Least nothing that hints as to the Ginzuishou's location, just clothes, weights and a bunch'a photo albums."

"Oooooh! I gotta see those!" Ishtar gasped, dropping her latest shiny object and dashing for the door, only to trip over her ropes of pearls, yelping as she fell, only to blink as the brunette grabbed her by the collar, holding her upright easily "Thanks Marduk!"

"Ditch the glitter, Ishtar." Sin called out, the pigtailed blonde stepping into the room as the others stood to attention…or at least saluted in Ishtar's case, as she was still dangling from Marduk's fingers like a kitten "We've located the Ginzuishou's Shrine."

"'bout freaking time!" Nergal muttered, the volatile redhead shaking her head in disgust as she turned to look at their leader in annoyance "What the hell took so long? They hide it on the moon?"

"No." Sin muttered, a look of annoyance crossing her features as she shot the redhead a warning glare, before shaking her head "It was in a separate wing of the palace…they actually made a little garden for it and everything."

"You have GOT to be shitting me." Nergal deadpanned, a bead of sweat sliding down her head as their leader shot her a look that clearly proved she wasn't kidding "How in the hell'd we miss something like THAT?!"

"I told you to calm down." Nabu pointed out, earning an enraged glare from the redhead, only to scoff coldly and address their leader "Regardless, the fact you came to inform us rather than simply opening the shrine yourself implies there are…complications."

"They set up a lock." Sin muttered, her features flashing with annoyance as she crossed her arms "Apparently it's keyed so that it won't open if it doesn't sense the energy of the inners or the Queen."

"All of which are currently posed rather fetchingly in the main chamber for Apsu-sama's amusement." Nabu muttered, biting her thumb with a calculative expression on her face "Apparently they thought ahead, even going so far as to exclude the outer senshi from the locks."

"The outers Did have a nasty tendency to be loners…" Marduk acknowledged, nodding her head in agreement with the chilly academic, before turning to their leader "Still, leaves us in a bit of a tight spot doesn't it?"

"Not necessarily…" Sin muttered, crossing her arms under her, modest, bustline as her eyes narrowed in thought, "There may yet be another option available to us..." nodding her head, she tilted it to the side and yelled down the hallway "Anshar!"

"Onee-sama?" a voice called out, the group turning to find a small boy in a white bodysuit with green highlights under a purple jacket standing in the doorway, looking at their leader in concern "Is everything alright?"

"Anshar-sama…" Nabu greeted, bowing to the younger brother of their leader, the others following suit, though Nergal looked a little annoyed at having to show respect to someone that barely grew past her waist "I didn't know you were searching as well."

"Onee-sama asked me to check out the King and Queens quarters." The green haired pre-teen admitted, nodding towards Sin as he spoke "I didn't find the Ginzuishou there either, just a bunch of underwear and cookies."

"forget about that for now." Sin assured her brother, her face softening slightly as she gazed down at him, a fond smile on her faceas she ignored Nergal mouthing the word 'COOKIES?!' to an equally confused Marduk "Do you recall seeing the princess among the statues?"

"Princess Small Lady?" Anshar repeated, a hint of a blush on his cheeks as he shook his head in confusion "No, to my knowledge, only the Queen and the Senshi are there, but there are several statues remaining to be moved, and the King is…"

"Broken." Ishtar giggled, covering her mouth as she recalled the sight of his head lying on the ground, earning a smirk of amusement from Nergal, who looked honestly amused at Endymion's fate.

"At the very least, Apsu-sama has the gravel for her new garden." The redhead mocked, missing the look of distaste sent her way courtesy of Nabu.

"Either way," the chilly academic muttered "If the princess' statue is not with the others, then logic dictates it has yet to be moved from wherever it is…" her eyes narrowed "or there is still a member of the Serenity line running free."

"Shit!" Nergal cursed, turning on her heals and racing out the door past a stunned Marduk, shoving the taller woman out of the way with a snarl "The hell didn't you just say so sooner Nabu?!"

"Impetuous hothead…" Nabu muttered, glaring darkly after the redhead as she raced down the corridor, before turning to the others "We should split up, check all areas of the castle that may lead to the temple, cut her off before she can make any headway."

"Do it." Sin agreed, nodding to the others, who dispersed, Marduk nodding and racing off on her own, even as Ishtar chased after the less-than-amused Nabu, chattering all the while to the silent bluenette "Anshar, keep looking in the rooms."

"Hai, Onee-sama." The green haired pre-teen agreed, only to reach out and grab the pig-tailed blonde by her hand, pausing her in her tracks as he looked up into her eyes "Onee-sama…don't hurt her, please?"

"Anshar…" Sin began, looking down at her brother in surprise, before settling her features into an impassive mask and pulling away "…focus on the task at hand."

Moving quickly down the corridor to put some distance between her brother's pitiable expression and herself, the pigtailed blonde felt a feeling of satisfaction wash over her, as she envisioned crystallizing the royal brat and posing her next to her mother.

'The Serenity line will end today.' She vowed, even as she raced down the echoing corridors of the silent palace 'And then…the world is ours!'

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A little crossover idea that's actually in the works right now.

The people introduced are actual characters from the Sailor Moon Videogame Another Story, called the Opposito (or opposite) Senshi, with the exception of Enki, Enlil and Ninurta, who were created to serve as a plot element as to why the outers didn't have counterparts.

Lemme know what you think in your reviews!

* * *

* * *


	6. JoJo's Completely Messed Up Adventure

Yo! Humble Internet Review Whore Kyugan here, with another stirring fic-let from the depths of my twisted imagination.

This one's another brainchild of my good pal Sketchfan and I, written because there really aren't enough JoJo Fanifcs out there.

Save your comments for the reviews, 'kay?

* * *

Chapter 1.

"Kuso…" a man muttered, watching as his daughter raced away on the back of a porpoise, slowly bleeding out as he lay floating in the ocean.

The man's name was Kujo Jotaro, a distinguished Marine Biologist and Adventurer, as well as one of the premier stock holders of the World Famous Speedwagon Foundation, an oil company that had it's corporate fingers in all forms of scientific research. Despite his young age on entering the field, he'd already made several breakthroughs in studying the migration patterns of whales, as well as discovering several new underwater volcanoes, one of which had been right beneath a drilling platform.

The reason he was dying in the ocean was not because of an accident at sea, nor was it an act of sabotage from one of his many competitors, those he could have handled easily, and ALWAYS managed to come out on top.

No, the reason Jotaro was dieing was the result of the machinations of a deranged priest, who had fused with the remains of one of Jotaro's family's oldest foes, the vampire Dio Brando.

Jotaro had been a teenager when he'd first heard the tale, of how his great-great grandfather, the British Nobleman Jonathan Joestar, had battle his adoptive brother Dio across Europe, culminating in the destruction of Dio's body, save the head, and the man's death as they sank beneath the waves.

Jotaro, of course, had grown up knowing nothing of Dio, living a quiet, almost pampered life with his mother Holly Kujo nee-Joestar, while his father Sadao, a Japanese Jazz musician, toured the world. This eventually led to the young Jotaro to developing into a type of delinquent. He didn't actively break rules, but his hair-trigger temper, apparently a genetic trait from his grandfather, and complete disregard for authority, generally had him pegged as a thug by the authorities at large, even if he was considered a bit of an icon by his classmates because of his height and looks.

In 1989, his maternal Grandfather, the late Joseph Joestar, had come to Japan and explained the full story of the Joestar's battle with Dio, shortly after hauling Jotaro out of prison, where the teen had sequestered himself in a bid to understand the strange 'Evil Spirit' that had attached itself to him in the middle of a fistfight.

The spirit, later revealed to be a Stand, was a manifestation of Jotaro's own inherent life energy, an evolved form of the same Hamon energy that his predecessors had used in their battles with Dio, and the Stone Mask that had bequeathed him with his Vampiric powers.

Joseph's coming to Japan had a double meaning, as he'd recently obtained information that Dio, after spending two generations at the bottom of the ocean, was INDEED alive, his severed head currently attached to the body of Jonathan Joestar. A string of events revealed the vampire's location to Egypt, not a moment to soon, as his revival had placed Jotaro's mother in a critical condition, her gentle nature clashing with the power of the Stand that Dio's rebirth had awakened.

They had set out to Egypt at once, encountering other Stand users along the way. Some joined their party, others tried their merry best to crush them in Dio's name. In the end, through many trial and errors, the group had finally made it to Egypt, for the final confrontation with Dio in Cairo.

Many lives had been lost, their party cut in half, either at Dio's own hands or at the bidding of his servants. Each death had only driven Jotaro onward, his anger at his family's ancient enemy blocking out all other thoughts aside, save the desire to beat the bloodsucker to a bloody pulp.

He'd thought he'd finished it then, splattering Dio's head open and leaving the body to crumble under the unrelenting desert sun, but Dio's legacy lived on, even if the vampire hadn't lived to see it.

Jotaro had spent most of his life, and the Speedwagon Foundation's resources, tracking down any hint of Dio's influence the world over, using his status as a marine Biologist as a means to do so. Whether it was a completely random encounter, or a full blown cult dedicated to the Vampire, the Joestar descendant tracked it down and put an end to it, usually in the form of a painful beat down, courtesy of his Stand, Star Platinum.

But then the bastards had gotten his daughter, Jolyne involved. Framing her for a hit and run, using her already tarnished record to land her in a Prison that was littered with several Stand users, all under the watchful eye of one of Dio's Zealots, the priest Enrico Pucci.

Jotaro had managed to sneak a Stand Arrowhead to his daughter, gifting her with the ability to defend herself with until he came for her, but Enrico struck just as they made the attempt to escape, stealing Jotaro's Memories and Stand, placing the man in a coma that would eventually kill him.

Through many trials and tribulations, all revolving around Enrico's bid to 'revive' Dio by fusing with a baby grown from the Vampire's cells, his daughter had battled not only to recover Jotaro's Stand, without which he was slowly dieing, but his memory, without which he was little more than a catatonic vegetable. Eventually she pulled through, sending the disks they'd been stored in to the Speedwagon Foundation, and while his condition had deteriorated, Jotaro had set out to NASA, where the group had cornered the priest, the minute his eyes had snapped open.

At first, they'd had the zealot on the ropes, Jotaro's ability to Stop Time, easily counteracting Pucci's newfound ability to control Gravity. However, things had taken a turn for the worst when Pucci completely fused with the baby, creating a new Stand, Stairway to Heaven, that had the ability to Speed Up Time.

Now even Time Stop couldn't match the zealot, as Stair Way to Heaven shortened the length of time Jotaro could freeze it, and in his current condition, Jotaro couldn't use Time Stop consecutively, meaning that for every five seconds he DID freeze the bastard, he had to wait almost as long before he could do it again.

Even running to the ocean hadn't helped, as Pucci had simply used a combination of his newfound speed and some of Dio's old tricks to tear the group apart, taking advantage of Jotaro's desire to protect his daughter to put an end to the man's meddling once and for all, leaving Jolyne, who was bleeding out from a knife to the side, and Emporio, a little boy that had aided them in their battle, as the sole survivors.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

'Yare-Yare Daze…' Jotaro muttered, the light fading from his eyes as he watched his daughter, young, hot-tempered Jolyne, ride off with Emporio on the back of a Dolphin, an enraged Pucci hot on their heel 'So this is how it ends huh…damn…what a mess…'

He dimly noted Annasui's body float past, the criminal that had asked him for Jolyne's hand had already been reduced to a rotted corpse thanks to Pucci's ability. He tried to reach out, to at least shut the man's eyes, but found he couldn't even lift his arms.

'Nerves are dead…can't feel anything at all…' the Joestar descendent muttered, his eyelids growing heavy, even as the light dimmed around him 'can't speak…can't breath…hell it's getting harder to think…'

Unable to keep his eyes open any longer, Jotaro let them fall, slowly sinking beneath the waves, his body shutting down even as he drifted off into the beyond.

'Wonder if the rest of the gang's waiting for me?' he wondered, snorting wryly as faces he'd missed for over twenty years rose up before him 'Avdol…' he muttered, recalling the stoic Egyptian fortune teller, the first Stand User he'd met, who'd named Star Platinum all those years ago 'Wonder if you saw THIS in the cards.' He snorted as another face came into view 'And Polnareff…' he noted, recalling the silver haired Prussian, and his hilarious antics 'wonder if they got toilets in heaven…could use a laugh or three…'

Snorting at the memory of the Prussian's luck with bathrooms, which was even worse than his luck with women, the Joestar heir let other faces wash over him 'Grandpa…' he muttered, recalling the old man from their adventure, back when he was still tall and athletic 'You caused me a load of trouble old man…left me more than a few messes to sort out…' he grimaced at the memory of a smart-alecky mutt 'Iggy…don't got no coffee gum for ya…'

Another face swam into view, this one of a tall, pink haired teen with unusual earrings and a green gakuran, one forelock covering his face as he rolled a cherry on his tongue. 'Kakyoin…' Jotaro muttered, sinking ever more into the deep, his eyes shut, brow furrowing as he felt the waves rock him from side to side 'Damn…so noisy…'

"GET UP!"

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Jotaro blinked, only to curse as something crashed into his stomach, knocking the wind out of him and causing him to sit upright, coughing from the blow.

"Whu-WHAT THE HELL?!" he snapped, whirling round to glare at his attacker, only to blink, realizing several things at once.

One, he was no longer in the ocean, evidenced by the fact he was currently sitting up in bed, looking around a disheveled looking bedroom that he dimly recognized from his teenage years.

Two, there was a pink haired girl in a green schoolgirl uniform standing at his bedside, looking down at him in annoyance.

"Honestly…" the girl sighed, hands on her hips as she shook her head in exasperation, looking down at him as she spoke "Just how many times do I have to wake you up before you start doing it yourself, Jojo?"

"Who-?" Jotaro began, looking over the pinkette in confusion, something about her features and attitude seeming oddly familiar, though for the life of him he couldn't explain why, as he'd never seen her before in his life.

"I mean what's the point of buying you an alarm clock if you're just going to ignore it?" the pinkette continued, straightening up, book bag in hand and looking around the room with a hint of disgust "Ugh this room's a mess! How can you live like this?"

"Who the hell are you?!" Jotaro demanded, his tone coming out more confused than angry due to the fact he didn't have a clue what was going on.

The girl blinked, looking at him in surprise at the outburst, before shaking her head with a sigh "Are you still asleep? Taku…why do I even bother…" she turned on her heel and made her way towards the door "Hurry up and get washed, we're going to be late."

"Hey come back here!" Jotaro demanded, rising out of the bed just as the girl walked out the door, determined to get some answers come hell or high water, whichever came first "What the hell's going-!?"

"AH! Noriako-chan!" a familiar voice called out, Jotaro's eyes widening in shocked disbelief as a familiar face appeared in the doorway, smiling amiably at the pinkette around a basket of laundry "Ara! So you got him up!"

"Barely…" the pinkette sighed, smiling amiably up at Holly Kujo, for indeed it was Jotaro's mother standing there, though she looked much younger than the last time he'd seen her. If anything she looked no older than thirty.

"Ara, that's Jotaro-kun for you." Holly chuckled, smiling at her dumbstruck son from the doorway, looking as happily dozy as she'd always been "Sleeps like the dead regardless of what's happening."

"I gotta go, Kujo-san." The pinkette stated, bowing politely to the woman, her book bag held before her, before turning to call over her shoulder at Jotaro "Don't think you can play hooky on the first day Jojo!" she called out, before moving down the corridor, out of sight.

"Such a nice girl she is." Holly noted, smiling serenely after the pinkette, even as she walked into the bedroom "Oh my Jotaro-kun, I thought I asked you to tidy up before you went to bed last night?"

"M-mom…?" Jotaro stammered, looking at the rejuvenated woman in confusion. The last time he'd seen his mother had been shortly before visiting Green Dolphin Prison. Back then she'd been pretty, in the way a grandmother is pretty, her wrinkled face lined with smile lines and her well kept hair a light, smoky gray, with traces of her original brown.

The woman standing before him was his mother from his youth, back when the whole mess with Dio had taken place.

"Jotaro?" Holly 'Saeko' Kujo queried, looking over her only son in confusion, and a hint of concern as he continued to stare at her like he'd never seen her before "Is something wrong? Ah! Is something on my face?!"

"Why do you look so young?!" Jotaro all but yelled, unable to comprehend this strange course of events, even his legendary cool beginning to frazzle under the strain. This really wasn't one of his better mornings.

"Oh my!" Holly Kujo laughed, placing a hand to her cheek and smiling down at her son, eyes closed cheerfully "You really are your father's son! You know just what to say to make a girl happy." She slapped him on the shoulder, teasingly "But remember, if you're going to do 'that', you'd better use protection!"

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT WOMAN?!" Jotaro yelled, finally snapping under the strain of events. This definitely proved it however, the only person that could drive him to shouting, without suffering a beat down of epic proportions, had always been his mother.

"Oh my! You're late!" Holly noted, looking at the clock on the counter in alarm, picking up the basketof laundry and heading for the door "You'd better hurry up! It's the first day after all! I left your Gakuran on the door…"

"Wait!" Jotaro called out, standing up as his mother swept out the door, humming a useless little tune like she always did, pulling up short as he caught sight of himself in the wall mirror.

He was young, or younger at any rate, his rugged features, while still stern, lacking the slight wrinkles of age that had never really bothered him, but still set him apart as a man older than he looked. If anything, looking over his rejuvenated features, he looked exactly like he did as a teenager, before the whole mess with Dio.

"What the hell…" he muttered, raising a hand to his cheeks, as if testing to see if this was some sort of bizarre dream. They never DID see that baby Stand user again, and it would be right up his alley to pull something like this, seeing as Kakyoin, the only one familiar with his ability, was long dead.

Looking away from the mirror, he spotted his old, modified Gakuran hanging from the door, the golden chain glinting in the morning light, and his old school cap hanging on the hook.

'Whatever the hell's going on…' he muttered, his eyes narrowing as he straightened up, pulling off his sleepwear as he spoke 'I ain't facing it dressed like this.'

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Washed and dressed in the old, comfortable uniform that had been his trademark, Jotaro felt more like himself, and was running his mind over the possibilities as he made his way down the stairs.

'That Baby Stand user…' he muttered, trying to recall what Kakyoin had told them all after defeating Midler and her stand High Priestess, 'I always wondered whether Kakyoin was messing with us…but this seems WAY too messed up to be a normal dream.'

"Yo! Up at last Jotaro?" A familiar voice called out from the kitchen table, the Joestar heir's eyes widening as he whipped round to gape at the man seated there, reading the paper and holding a cup of coffee "Hm? What is it?"

"Old man?!" Jotaro stammered, caught of guard as he stared at the rejuvenated form of his grandfather, Joseph Joestar. The last time he'd seen the man had been at his funeral, where he'd bitterly cursed the old man for leaving him with such a mess to clean up in regards to the inheritance. But then, with Grandma Suzie and Higashikata Tomoko coming to an accord, the two putting aside their dislike for each other in the face of losing a man they both loved, things had gone smoothly. It hadn't hurt that Josuke, Joseph's illegitimate son, had instantly won over the elderly Suzie Q with his polite, helpful manner.

"What's wrong, Jotaro?" Joseph asked, looking exactly like he had the day he'd turned up in Japan to bail his errant grandson out of prison, not a day older than his mid fifties, rather than his mid seventies "You look like you've seen a ghost."

"What're YOU doing here old man?" Jotaro asked, brushing his surprise aside and trying to make it seem like he didn't care one way or the other "Where's grandma Suzie?"

Immediately, Joseph fell off his chair, Jotaro's eyes widening, rushing round to see if the old man had suffered a heart attack, only to blink as he caught the man lying on the floor in the fetal position, bleached white with lines running down his sides

"Oh Jotaro…" Holly chided, coming up behind her confused son with a look of mild disapproval on her face "You know you aren't supposed to talk to your Grandpa about that, he still hasn't gotten over Mama's death."

"Grandma Suzie's dead?" Jotaro wondered, looking away from the disturbing sight of his grandfather weeping on the floor to regard his mother in confusion. His grandmother had always been healthier than his grandfather, even if she DID look slightly older. She always accredited it to her Hamon ability, Joseph might have been more powerful, but Suzie Q was more dedicated.

"Don't you remember? She passed away almost a year ago." Holly told him, a hand on her cheek, as if reminding him of something blatantly obvious "Papa was so devastated I had him move in with us."

"SUZIE!" the distraught Joseph wailed, Jotaro whipping round, only to find the man prostrating himself against a poster of the woman, entitled 'Suzie forever!' in English and Kanji "You're Grandson's grown up to be an inconsiderate bastard!"

"URUSEI!" Jotaro snapped, resisting the urge to kick the man in the head, as that would mean TOUCHING him, in favor of swiping some toast from the table and grabbing his book bag, which his mother had set aside for him "Tch, I'm outta here."

"Bye!" Holly called out, patting her emotional father on the back as she beamed at her son with all the love a mother could possibly display "Now come on papa, cheer up! We're having fajita's today!"

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

'Okay…' Jotaro muttered, walking out the gate of his childhood home with a frown 'This is DEFINITELY too realistic to be a dream…'

The Kujo House looked the same as ever, a traditional two story Japanese home with a large garden and Koi pond at the back. There were even the marks on the gateposts, where Holly Kujo had marked her son's growth up until he'd hit his teens. However, they ran alongside another pair, as if someone else had their height measured too.

'That's definitely new…' Jotaro muttered, eyeing the 'No' next to his own 'Jo' with a hint of suspicion 'Could it be the enemy's attempts at slipping in?'

Brushing it aside, the teen slipped out into the street, nodding in the direction of their neighbor as the old lady tossed water out onto the street, before turning on his heel and making his way towards the school.

Predictably, about ten minutes into the walk, there came the chitter-chatter of little minds, as his old fangirl groupies came out from wherever it was they'd been hiding.

Jotaro honestly didn't understand why they'd pursued him, yes he'd admit he was good looking, but his attitude as a kid hadn't been exactly inviting. Hell if anything he'd given them more reason to be afraid of him than anything else. I wasn't that he was shy around women, he just couldn't stand them nattering on about nothing for hours on end.

Now, reliving one of the minor annoyances of his teenage years, the 40-something Joestar descendant couldn't help but wonder how he'd put up with them at all.

By now, two of them had gotten into an argument, calling each other infantile names at the top of their lungs, heedless of the attention they were drawing to themselves, which degraded into a miniature catfight, the other groupies either cheering them on or trying to break up the scuffle. Jotaro, rather than yelling at them, as he was wont to do in the past, simply picked up the pace, knowing from experience that they'd be at it for several minutes, and that drawing attention to himself would only make them follow him.

Arriving at the gates of the school, clearing them just in time as the late bell sounded, Jotaro calmly made his way through the corridors to his locker, which predictably contained a love letter.

'Yare-Yare-Daze…' he muttered, crumpling the unopened envelope and tossing it into the overflowing trash can, which several other girls had stuffed with their rival's letters 'Maybe I'm just getting old, but stuff like this seems…childish.'

Shaking his head, he made his way to the classroom, noting the looks of shock he was receiving from the faculty, as well as the surprised looks from most of the students.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"What the hell, Kujo's here?" several of the gaping students wondered, whispering behind Jotaro's back as he walked past them, as if unable to believe their own eyes.

"No way! He always skips the first day!" others would contest, sticking their heads out of classrooms for a better look, only to gape at his back in shock as he walked past "Shit! He is here!"

"You think he's gonna throw down in the classroom?" some of the other delinquents asked, sounding oddly eager, as watching Jotaro fight was better than pay-per-view "Hey maybe there's gonna be a fight!"

"Probably got bored." One of the staff members snorted, pushing his glasses up on his nose, sniffing in disgust "A delinquent like that has no place here in my opinion."

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Yare-Yare Daze…" Jotaro muttered, closing his eyes in annoyance, having caught every word of what they were saying, as they weren't exactly quiet about it "This is going to be such a pain…maybe I should skip…"

"Finally made it huh?" a voice called out, Jotaro turning to find the pinkette from before standing behind him, hands on her hips, her expression less stern than it had been earlier that morning "C'mon, class is about to start."

"Who-?" Jotaro began, only to blink as she grabbed his arm and dragged him, with surprising strength, into the classroom, scowling as the girls within started giggling, only to blink as he realized some of them were sending the pinkette looks of jealous anger.

"Yo! Jotaro!" one of the boys greeted, a teen Jotaro dimly recognized from his regent hairstyle from the nurse incident, but couldn't for the life of him recall his name "Surprised to see you here man, you sick?"

"None of your damn business." Jotaro muttered, earning a snort from the regent sporting teen, even as he settled into his old seat near the back, putting his feet up on the table and leaning back on the chair.

"Taku, same stiff attitude as ever…" the teen muttered, looking off to the side, before grinning, leaning back on the chair to smile at him "Still, I'd be pretty pissed to if my 'other half' dragged me to class too." He sighed, "Though I wouldn't mind switching with ya, Kakyoin-chan's pretty cute."

"Ka-?" Jotaro repeated, blinking from surprise, before sitting up, reaching over the table and grabbing the startled punk's shirt, dragging him face to face with him "What did you say her name was?!"

"W-who? Kakyoin?" the startled punk yelped, looking at Jotaro in alarm, wondering if he was in for a Kujo beatdown "C-c'mon man, you've known her longer than I have right? She's always getting on your case!"

"What's going on here?" the pinkette asked, standing to the side as she looked down at the duo with a stern expression "Jojo, picking fights so early?"

Jotaro blinked, releasing the choking punk as he ran his eyes over the pinkette, taking in the small similarities, such as the cherry stem earrings and pink forelock, as if seeing them for the first time, his eyes trailing down to her book bag, which she still held in her hand, eyes widening at the name stitched into the side.

Kakyoin Noriako.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

This fic be trippin' Ballz.

Seriously tho, this fic was inspired by a piece of artwork I saw on someone's sight, where Kakyoin was a girl. Those of you who wish to see it, let me or Sketchfan know and we'll forward a link.

The basic premise is, after being left for dead by Pucci at cape Canaveral, Jotaro 'wakes up' in a new world, simillar to his old one.

Is it all just a dream? Or a result of Pucci's stand ability speeding up time to create a New World?

For those of you unfamilliar with JoJo, we recommend at least reading up on series 3, Stardust Crusaders. (In my opinion, the best of the series, best art style too.)

This is one work I'm hoping to work on more, as I love JJBA, but there really don't seem to be that many fics about it, and the few that DO exist are either oneshots or crossovers.

Also, some of you may have noticed a Tribute to AntFishtas' JJBA Abridged soemwhere, this was a deliberate homage to one of the best Abridged series I've seen. Fingers crossed that series 2 is as awesome!

Review plz!

* * *


	7. Code Geass: Lelouch of the Second Chance

Yo, humble internet Review whore Kyugan here, with another little ficlet that's been swimming around in my head.

enjoy!

* * *

Chapter 1: Reawakening.

"Don't kill him!"

Lelouch's eyes snapped open, gazing forwards in alarm, even as the sound of a gunshot pierced through the air. He blinked, gaping in confusion as a lock of green hair fell past his face, eyes wide as he gaped open the group of Britannian soldiers lined up before him, weapons at the ready. 'Where?' the former Emperor wondered, looking around in confusion, only to blink in shock as he recognized the green-haired figure at his feet "C.C?!"

"Well now what a shame." The leader of the soldiers drawled, smirking up at the teen, his gun aimed right at Lelouch's face, unaware that he was drawing on the 17th heir to the throne of Britannia "We burst into the terrorist hideout, only to find that the female hostage had already been tortured to death…what do you think, Schoolboy?"

"This…this can't be…" Lelouch muttered, looking about in confusion, gaping at his hands, noting with surprise that, rather than his bloody, white imperial clothes, he was in his old school uniform from Ashford academy "What…how…?"

A hand on his ankle caused him to look down, eyes wide as he saw C.C's hand clutching at his leg, despite her fatal head wound.

'_What are you waiting for?'_ the familiar, almost mocking voice chided, the world around Lelouch whiting out as he felt that alien touch of the Geass master's mind brush against his own _'You don't want it to end here…not after coming all the way…?'_

'_Cera…' _the former emperor breathed, whispering her true name, his gaze hardening, left eye twinging at the familiar feeling of his Geass activating, _'You better have a damned good explanation for all this!'_

'_Perhaps…'_ came the cryptic reply, even as C.C's hand relaxed, dropping to the floor next to her as Lelouch rose to his feet.

"What's the matter?" the commanding officer demanded, his tone as condescending as it had ever been as he watched his supposed victim rise to meet his doom "Something to say, Schoolboy?"

"All of you," Lelouch muttered, unveiling his active Geass for all to see, the crimson wings freezing the men in their tracks as he smirked at them all "Die."

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It had taken but a moment for Villetta to turn up, even less time for Lelouch to use his Geass to trick the dark skinned woman into surrendering her Sutherland and firearm. It had been tempting, oh-so very tempting, to simply blow the woman's brains out then and there, and thus save himself future grief, but the former emperor dimly recalled Ohgi having some relation with her or other, and so couldn't bring himself to do it. If push came to shove however…well that was for another day.

'It would appear that time has reset…' he muttered, narrowing his eyes as he gazed out upon the battle-torn remains of the Shinjuku slums 'Is this the power of Geass? Or is it something else…?'

Pushing such thoughts aside, he instead focused on the still form of C.C, resting against his torso as he piloted the Sutherland away from the tunnel and towards the battlefield to avoid suspicion. He'd bandaged her head to stem off the bleeding, though there really wasn't any need, seeing as she could hardly bleed to death.

'I don't know what's going on here…' he muttered, squatting the Sutherland down in a remote area, calling up the identification screen to determine the situation 'But I can get answers soon enough…right now I have a battle to win.'

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Kallen Stadtfeld cursed as she tried to outrun the Britannian forces in her outdated, one armed clunker of a Glasgow. The new Military Sutherlands were proving far more agile and powerful than her own Frame, and it was hard going simply to keep from getting shot in the back as she went around trying to draw their attention away from Ohgi and the rest, a fact made no less difficult by the Frame's dwindling battery.

"Dammit! Only thirty minutes left?!" she cursed, looking up at the power reading on her faltering Knightmare with desperate trepidation, even as the comm-link went off, her head snapping up in confusion.

"The west entrance." An unfamiliar voice ordered, Kallen blinking, wondering who the hell this joker was that had hacked their signal, and HOW he'd managed it in the first place "Use the tracks to move to the west entrance."

"Who is this?!" the redhead demanded, her voice laced with anger and suspicion, even as she weaved between the buildings, wondering of their security, such that it was, had been breached "How do you know this code?!"

"You haven't changed…" the voice noted, sounding oddly amused as he chuckled over the radio "Still as fiery tempered as ever…Regardless, if you want to win, you're going to have to trust me."

"To Win?" Kallen repeated, as if questioning the mystery man's sanity, as the very idea of turning the odds against the Britannian forces seemed staggering. Also, from the way he spoke, it was as if he knew her from somewhere, but she didn't recall hearing anyone like that before.

Still, it wasn't like she had a lot of options left, and at the very least she could drive the enemy away from the others.

So following the advice of the mysterious caller, she climbed onto the abandoned rail-tracks, racing along the subway lines, cursing as two enemy Sutherlands, one piloted by Jeremiah Gottwald himself, followed hot on her tail.

"Eyes front, Kallen." The mysterious voice instructed, the redhead looking up just in time to see a train moving towards her, leaping over it even as Jeremiah's Sutherland stopped the vehicle in it's tracks, his back-up leaping into the air after her.

A Blaze Harken lashed out from the side, knocking the enemy Sutherland for six, Kallen's eyes widening as she followed the rappelling anchor back to one of the destroyed buildings, where another Sutherland lurked.

"Shot by friendly fire?!" Jeremiah gaped, his outraged voice sounding over the intercom as he turned to regard the threat "You there! What's your name and unit?! We're after the one armed Glasgow-!?"

The Commander's answer came in the form of a hail of bullets, as the treacherous Sutherland opened fire on the commander, holding him in place long enough for Kallen, in her one-armed Glasgow, to punch the mech's face in, Jeremiah ejecting the cockpit before the finishing blow could land.

"Whoever you are, thanks!" Kallen offered, smirking up at the building her unknown assistant had been lurking in "How'd you get your hands on a Suther…land?"

The building was abandoned, her secret benefactor having long since made his escape. The fact he'd managed to do so without a sound only hinted at how good he was at reading a situation.

"Kallen!" Ohgi's voice called out, the rebel leader racing up to her along the tracks, flanked by the rest of her buddies, those that had managed to survive the attack anyways "What the hell was that radio message earlier?!"

"He contacted you too?" the redhead exclaimed, looking down at her buddies in confusion, even as the radio crackled again.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Good to see you're alive, Ohgi." Lelouch applauded, smiling as he the groups' gasps at their leader's identity being known carried over the airwaves, wishing he could see their expressions "As a reward, I present to the cargo in that train over there." He paused as the group turned to regard the train that had distracted Gottwald, Kallen using her Glasgow to open the side "They're tools for your victory, if you want to use them to win, then follow my orders."

"Who in the hell're are you?" Tamaki snapped, the irate rebel's voice practically screaming into the former emperor's ear, Lelouch holding the radio away, grimacing at the sheer volume "How'd you-HOLY SHIT?!"

"I see you approve of my gifts." Lelouch chuckled, ear smarting, but it was worth it to imagine the look on the mouthy rebels face as he gaped at the Sutherlands inside the cargo "Kallen," he called out, earning a startled gasp from the redhead "refit your Glasgow with a new battery pack but remain in it, your unit is going to run decoy."

"Y-Yes!" the fiery rebel stammered, sounding oddly flustered over the radio, even as her fellow rebels let out whoops of joy as they clambered into the sutherlands "But, how on earth do you know-?!"

"Who you are?" Lelouch interrupted, his smile sad as he recalled a distant kiss in a long forgotten hallway "I probably know you better than anyone…" his tone hardened "Enough about that, you should have less than fifteen minutes left, recharge and wait for my instructions."

Breaking contact, the former Demon Emperor leant back in the Sutherland's chair with a sigh, a hand over his face as he tried to get himself under control 'Calm down.' He muttered, grimacing as the memory of Kallen's betrayed face looking up at him, his eyes hardening with determination 'It won't be the same…not this time…there are more important things to think about now…'

Like the Lancelot. The infamous white Knightmare that had proved a thorn in the Black Knight's side since their first, unofficial battle, here in Shinjuku. A part of him considered letting the scene play out exactly the same, as there as no way the rebels could fight in Military Issue Sutherlands.

But another part, the part that held a grudge, wanted to make it clear that THIS time, the White Knight wouldn't be as domineering a foe as before.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Clovis Vi Britannia, third prince of the empire and third line for the throne, lounged in his command center, watching with a hint of bored annoyance as his tacticians tried to flush the filthy Eleven terrorists out of their holes like the rats they were.

It really shouldn't have been taking this long, how hard was it to flush out a bunch of vermin with only one, outdated Glasgow on their side? Especially considering he'd given the soldiers free reign to execute anyone on the scene.

"Enemy sighted!" one of the soldiers reported, the prince's eyebrow quirking as he noticed the red Glasgow's signature appear on the map.

"A Feint?" he scoffed, sounding appropriately bored with the situation "How very pedestrian of them…"

His lackadaisical attitude quickly changed when an entire squad of Sutherlands was suddenly wiped out. From that moment, things deteriorated in a hectic scramble for information, as unit after unit dropped like flies to the enemy's tactics.

"How can this…" the prince stammered, watching as his general's strategies were read and countered, almost as if the enemy were reading off a script "Terrorists have our military weaponry?!"

He stood up, a scowl on his regal visage even as Bartley tried to change the codes for the fifth time, in a bid to cut off enemy sabotage "This failure is unacceptable!" the blonde monarch snapped, striding towards the balding, portly commander in a rage, only to pull up short as an annoying, bespectacled figure appeared on the main screen.

"Good Afternoon-!" Lloyd greeted, the smug, ambiguous master of pudding smiling at the frazzled command crew, ignoring Bartley's orders to get off the monitor "I'd say it's time to deploy the A6 special weapon."

"We've no time for this right now!" Clovis stated regally, glaring at his elder brother's annoying subordinate as he advanced on the map, just as yet another one of their squads went down "Bring up Quincy's squad!" he held up a hand to silence Bartley's protests "Reinforce the breach in the encirclement with some of the forces guarding me, all we know for certain is that enemy forces are HERE."

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Just like last time," Lelouch scoffed, watching as Clovis' retarded attempt at cornering the rebels went into action "Honestly, it's almost pitiful how easy he made this the first time around."

Snorting, rearranging the slumbering C.C to that she was resting against his chest, Lelouch brought up his communicator and hailed his Red Queen "Kallen, You should have an area map, right?"

"Y-Yes." The redhead agreed, startled at his sudden hailing, having been focusing on avoiding the enemies attempts to drive her out into the open "I have a map, but it doesn't have any current landmarks."

"Not a problem, it'll do." Lelouch assured her, his tone reassuring as he watched Clovis' half baked attempt at encircling his forces with the same air of a professional critic watching a sub-standard production "Mission no.3, is everything prepared?"

"Y-yes." Kallen admitted, the tone echoing slightly due to her moving her Glasgow underground, her Id-signal no doubt confusing the living hell out of the encircling Britannian forces milling around up top.

"Very well." Lelouch chuckled, wishing he had a chess piece in hand as the redhead used her Blaze Harken to destroy the support wall holding up the Shinjuku main street "With this, I call check…" He smiled, watching as the plume of smoke brought on by their last move rose above the fractured Shinjuku skyline, the Rebels joyous cries audible over the airwaves. "Don't let your guard down." He ordered, tone cutting through their jubilation like a lance "The battle isn't over just yet, the enemy have yet to deploy their ace…"

"Ace?" Ohgi queried, the confusion evident in the rebel leader's tone as the rest of the rebels muttered amongst themselves in understandable confiusion "Exactly what do you mean by 'ace'?"

"The enemy has a new, experimental Knightmare frame at their disposal," Lelouch revealed, wondering what kind of expression the rebels were sporting now "it outstrips the Sutherlands by a tremendous margin."

"What the hell?!" Tamaki snapped, the irate Rebel practically spitting over the airwaves in his ire, Lelouch patting himself on the back for his decision to tape the radio to the wall "You mean you sent us out in these clunkers for nothing?!"

"Not at all," Lelouch countered, smirking at the brazen Japanese's attitude "We already have the enemy in check, now we just have to move in for the kill…"

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Kururugi Suzaku, son of the late Prime Minister Kururugi Genbu, frowned as he slipped into the cockpit of the experimental, 7th generation Knightmare Frame, Codename Lancelot. He had to admit, it was kind of exciting, being the one to take the frame out on it's maiden mission, but on the other hand, the fact that Lelouch could still be out there, and that he'd be facing off against his own countrymen.

'No.' he muttered, shaking his head as he entered the man-machine interface, the identity code registering with the mech's onboard computer 'They made their choice, nothing can come from terrorism.'

Seizing the controls, the honorary Britannian's features set into a determined scowl as he commanded the mech to crouch in a runner's start, waiting for the launch permission from Lloyd and Cecile.

"Lancelot: LAUNCH!" the blue haired assistant called out, Suzaku flipping the throttle to full, racing off the transporter and into the ruins of Shinjuku at top speed, ignoring Lloyd's jubilant laughter about his 'Running full throttle out of the gate'.

The Lancelot handled even better than in the simulations, responding to his slightest touch, turning on a dime without losing any forward momentum. Unlike in the simulations however, Suzaku had to contend with the bullet wound he'd received for refusing to kill Lelouch.

'Lelouch…' he muttered, recalling his childhood friend, the disowned prince of Britannia that had been sent to stay with his family as a child, along with his blind, invalid sister Nunnally 'Did you make it out? Or did they…?'

Cecile had assured him that there had been no reports of a Britannian schoolboy being uncovered, which was a mixed blessing. On the one hand, it meant Suzaku had no idea if his friend was still alive, but on the other, it meant Lelouch's identity was safe.

Britannia believed fully that the 17th Prince and Princess had been killed during the initial occupation of Japan, a fact that Suzaku fully intended to keep that way.

He knew that Lelouch had no love for his homeland, had even vowed revenge for their casting him and Nunnally aside. It was one of the reasons he'd joined up as a Britannian soldier, to ensure that no harm came to them ever again.

His thoughts were interrupted as a hail of gunfire caused him to veer off course, whipping round only to find that the enemy had retreated from view.

"Using the ghetto's to their advantage…" he muttered, charging in the direction of the gunfire, only to yell as several rounds slammed into his back, knocking him out of his charge "From behind?!"

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

'Sorry, Suzaku…' Lelouch muttered, watching with a detached expression as he directed the rebels in a dangerous game of keep-away with the white Knight 'But I can't have you interfering.'

"It's just like you said!" Ohgi reported over the radio, the sound of gunfire in the background as his cell kept Suzaku distracted, firing at him from amidst the rubble "Shit! He's deployed some sort of energy shield!"

"Fall back for now," Lelouch ordered, mind calculating as he pulled up everything he recalled about Suzaku's fighting style and the Lancelot's capabilities "Tamaki, the second he makes to advance, aim at the back of his legs. Kallen, are you in position."

"You sure this'll work?" the redhead asked, her voice laced with uncertainty, and a hint of fear, as she watched the faster, more agile mech lunge after her friends, deflecting their bullets and swiping at them with Blaze Harkens.

"Positive." Lelouch offered, features grim as he severed the connection "C'mon Suzaku…"

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"This is crazy!" Suzaku cursed, whipping his shields around in a bid to ward off the continuous assault from the hidden enemy, even as the attacks from the rear kept up "It's like they were expecting me!"

"Suzaku? What's the problem?" Lloyd called in, the scientists voice sounding oddly concerned, no doubt worried about his precious Lancelot's debut being spoiled, though losing a pilot like Suzaku would a close second.

"The enemy has me pinned down in the slums!" Suzaku reported, using his grapples to leap onto a small building in a bid to get to higher ground "They're moving between the buildings, so I can't get a lock on them!"

"My, resourceful chaps aren't they?" Lloyd noted, sounding of all things amused by this interesting little wrinkle "Still, no one ever said war was clean…true victories require on the spot thinking and strategy."

"You certainly sound like you're enjoying yourself!" Cecile snapped, concern for Suzaku in her tone, even as Lloyd's pained wails echoed over the radio, the scientist begging his assistant to release his ear "Suzaku-kun, fall back for-!"

"Whoa!" Suzaku yelled, his eyes widening in horror as a hand punched through the roof he was standing on, grabbing the Lancelot's leg and holding the mech in place "They've got me-!"

Gunfire rained down on the mech from all sides, Suzaku cursing as he was knocked around the inside of the cockpit, looking up through the monitor to see the enemy surrounding him on all sides, perched on top of the taller buildings as they unloaded round after round into Lancelot.

"Dammit!" he swore, activating his shield to deflect the worst of the barrage, whilst leveling one of his Blaze Harkens at the hand holding him in place "Let go of me you-!"

A crimson fist came out of nowhere, the red Glasgow that had been reported on the battlefield punching Lancelot right in the face, sending the slimmer mech crashing into the roof, which crumbled beneath the force of the blow.

The last thing Suzaku heard as he blacked out was Cecil screaming his name over the radio as Lloyd had a panic attack in the background.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"We did it!" Kallen cheered, pumping her fist as she watched the white Knightmare sink into the depths of the abandoned building, buried under several tons of collapsed steel and concrete.

"Whoever this guy is he knows his stuff!" Tamaki whooped, firing his rifle wildly in a victory salute, amidst cheers of approval from the others, several rounds of ammunition emptying into the clear, suddenly very sunny skies.

"All of you," their mysterious benefactor ordered, snapping them out of their revelry "fall back immediately and evacuate the civilians, use the Sutherlands as cover but avoid the remaining Britannian forces if at all possible."

"What about you?" Kallen asked, looking around in concern, trying to spot the red-masked Sutherland amidst the rubble, even as Ohgi set about ordering the rebels to disperse "Who are you?"

"I am Zero." The mysterious voice intoned, several resistance members blinking in confusion, muttering to themselves at the man's choice of alias "The man that will destroy the corrupt Britannia."

"Destroy-?! Wait!" Kallen exclaimed, only to blink as the line cut off without further ado, leaving her staring at her radio in awe "Zero…who is this guy?"

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

'That should give them something to think about…' Lelouch chuckled, parking Villetta's Sutherland behind an easily accessible ruin, out of sight of the half-assed patrols that remained to guard Clovis' transporter.

Disembarking from the frame, leaving the slumbering C.C after checking on her one last time, the former emperor slipped into a uniform he'd swiped from one of the guards on the train, buckling the helmet in place before advancing on the trailer, smirking at the paltry resistance he met on the way.

'You'd think with the enemy wandering around Clovis would have his men shoot any suspicious persons on sight.' Lelouch noted, smirking even as he used his Geass to override the mind of the lone guard, slipping into the transport before making his way up to the command center, pausing only to cut off the lights to the upper floors as he did so.

"Who the hell are you?!" Bartley demanded, the portly general seeing only a worthless soldier that had dared break into the command center during a black out "Don't just stand there you idiot! Get the lights back-!"

"All of you, leave the transport." Lelouch ordered, smirking even as Bartley's rotund face went slack, the loud mouthed general and his subordinates filing out, leaving only a confused Clovis in the room.

"Bartley!" the prince yelled, looking after the general in confusion as the man, along with the rest of the bodyguards, sauntered out of the room in a trance "Where are you going! Get back here this instant you-!"

"So petulant, Prince Clovis." Lelouch chuckled, smirking as his elder brother directed his angry glare towards him, the look quickly turning to one of shock as the elder prince espied the drawn gun in the Lelouch's hand "Calm yourself, it wouldn't do for you to seem out of place when you order a retreat."

"Are…Are you with the terrorists?" Clovis demanded, flinching as the shadowy figure advanced on him, gun in hand, before his brow settled into the trademark Britannian Noble look of scorn "Do you intend to kill me?"

"Not just yet…" Lelouch muttered, smirking at his elder brother, stepping into the light, his Geass active in his left eye, even as Clovis' own eyes widened in shocked recognition "First, I need you to call off the attack, have your men pull out of the slums, the Eleven's are not to be harmed any further."

"Yes…" Clovis intoned, his voice laced with the hypnotic suggestion of the Geass, even as he reached for the microphone to broadcast his final orders to the doubtless confused troops stillmeandering around the ghetto.

"It's too bad." Lelouch muttered, leveling his handgun at his elder brother's face, waiting for the order to wear off before he pulled the trigger "Seeing as I've been given a second chance, I'd have preferred to do things differently…" his eyes narrowed in resolve "But you've committed too many atrocities to be allowed to live."

Clovis' final speech ended the exact second that Lelouch pulled the trigger, the third Prince, eyes widening in disbelief, only having time to mouth the words 'Lelouch-?' before his brains decorated the wall behind him.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

And that'll leave off.

As you can see, I've jumped on the 'second chance' bandwagon, taking the Code Geass world for a spin.

What will Lelouch do, armed with his knowledge of the future? Will he set himself up as emperor again?

Not in my book, Lelouch probably feels jaded about the position in my opinion.

Also several plot twists:

1; Lelouch's Geass (left eye) is always active from the start, meaning he has to wear a medical eyepatch (Think Ryoumou from Ikki Tousen).

2; C.C, ever loveable enigma, is 'awake' as well, so she knows everything Lelouch does.

3; Lelouch's a lot bolder this time round, especially with the ladies. (This WILL be a harem fic if it gets off the ground)

4; Expect SERIOUS Britannian Pwnage (I blame my irish blood).

other than that, it basically sticks to cannon...save Lelouch actually FLIRTS with people.

Anyone interested in seeingthis get off the ground, lemme know!

C.C: There will be Pizza.

* * *


	8. Code Tekka: The Geass Knight

Greetings True Reviewers!

Here's yet another radical idea that has cropped up in my head for you to sample.

Enjoy!

* * *

Chapter 1: Awakening.

Over a year had passed since the failed Black Rebellion, the event that was rapidly being broadcast as the second defeat of Japan as a nation.

In the wake of the rebellion, the superior Britannian military force had swept in, rounding up the vast majority of the treacherous Black Knights, who without their Leader, Zero, were swiftly defeated, a vast majority of them either killed in battle, or arrested afterwards.

A small portion of the rebels managed to avoid capture, however it was but a mere handful compared to the numbers they had once possessed, and with Zero's death, there was little fear, or hope, of their returning to any semblance of power.

The Six houses of Kyoto, otherwise known as the Japanese 'Self-Government council', NAC, had been executed for their assisting the Black Knights, though the supposed head of the six families, Sumaragi Kaguya, supposedly escaped to the mainland before the Britannian authorities could capture her.

The Japanese, or Elevens as the Britannian's referred to them, were given a particularly hard time after the rebellion, the Britannian forces clamping down even harder on them than they had before, in order to drive home the fact that resistance was POINTLESS, that they never stood a chance, no matter how hard they wished for it.

Many stubbornly persisted that it was only a matter of time before Zero returned to put the Britannian invaders in their place, that the revolutionary would never abandon the people to whom he'd become a beacon of hope.

Such dreams were swiftly and brutally crushed, by the announcement of his death, at the hands of Kururugi Suzaku, the first Honorary Britannian to be awarded a position amongst the illustrious Knights of the Round for his service to the Empire.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

General Bartley grumbled to himself as he switched off the news report, feeling absolutely disgusted. It had been hard enough standing through the Eleven's anointment the first time, the last thing he needed was to be reminded of it every time he turned on the news.

'It might serve to keep the Eleven's in their place…' he muttered, recalling how the insurgents had dropped to almost half after the announcement was broadcast 'but that doesn't mean I have to LIKE it.'

Grumbling to himself, the bald, portly general made his way down the corridor of the research facility he'd been assigned to, nodding in the direction of several technicians that passed him as he made his way to the main lab.

Jeremiah Gottwald, the insufferable blowhard that had arrested him after the assassination of the late prince Clovis, was back again for another 'upgrade', much to his indignation. The former margrave just wouldn't stop going on about how nobody could compare to him now, heedless of the fact that, at the press of a button, Bartley could turn the man into lumpy spaghetti sauce.

Not that he WOULD mind you, for as satisfying as it would doubtless be, hell the very idea often helped Bartley drift off to sleep at night, it would be nothing compared to what the Emperor would do to the General if anything happened to the man. Jeremiah had boasted that his potential had been 'realized', and that he now served the emperor at another facility, and despite his obvious dislike for the former margrave, Bartley didn't need to guess what would happen if the man died on his watch.

Fortunately, the modifications had gotten to the point where the procedure was almost completely automated, Bartley didn't even need to do much except occasionally stick his head into the lab to make sure the techs weren't scribbling on Jeremiah's tube or whatever nonsense they came up with to pass the time. Well, that and be there to see the man off, something that was inspired mixed feelings.

On the one hand, he was always glad to see the Cyborg go. On the other, it was a given that he wouldn't be gone LONG.

"How are things proceeding?" he demanded, stepping into the lab the man frequented for his maintennance, hands clasped behind his back, only to glowered at the technician as he noticed the empty tank "Where is he?"

"Lord Jeremiah left thirty minutes ago, General." A low, childish voice pointed out, Bartley whipping round to face the young teen standing behind him in a military uniform, his light brown hair slightly tousled, giving him an almost cherubic appearance that was marred by his expressionless eyes "I brought him new orders, which requested his presence back at headquarters."

"Dammit Rolo! I've warned you about sneaking up on me like that!" Bartley snapped, his heart racing a mile a minute from shock "Listen, you and Jeremiah might not be part of my unit, but I am STILL a General, and as such you superior, so please refrain from sneaking up on me."

"My apologies." Rolo offered, though going by his expression alone, it was doubtful the youth really cared what the balding general had said "I was also asked to collect your report on the OTHER project."

"Right this way." Bartley muttered, his mood improved somewhat with the absence of Jeremiah, as he led the teen out of the lab and down the corridor. Truth be told, he had nothing against Rolo, as unlike Jeremiah, the teen was well-spoken and didn't give himself airs. That being said, it didn't take a genius to understand that he'd been trained as an assassin, Bartley had seen that trademark tread, like a cat padding towards it's prey, on many a man before, which was one of the reasons he hated the youth sneaking up on him.

Not that he believed that the emperor wanted him dead, after all, despite his failure in protecting Prince Clovis, Bartley had an exemplary military record, and had contributed greatly to the research fields. No, he suspected that Rolo had been assigned here to drive home the fact that the Emperor KNEW of his involvement in Clovis' research into the power of Geass, and was making sure that Bartley didn't tell anyone.

They came to a halt outside a set of sealed doors, Bartley nodding at the armed guards posted on either side, before moving towards the retinal scanner on the wall, Bartley swiftly brushing past the doors, Rolo on his heels, moving onto the next and clearing his throat.

"The rain in Spain falls mainly on the plain." The general muttered, speaking into a microphone on the panel, making sure to keep his tone neutral and calm as he watched the device match his voiceprint to the one recorded, and listed the phrase as one of the few that allowed Bartley to enter with a companion.

The second door opened into a narrow hallway, enough for three people to stand Single file, but not much else. Suppressing an involuntary shiver as Rolo filed in behind him, the General walked up to the final door, placing his palm against the screen to be read.

However, rather than simply scanning the general's palm print, this security feature actually carried out a quick scan of his vital signs, including blood pressure, heart-rate, right down to body heat and blood-type. The palm scanner was simply a means of tricking whatever enemy managed to make it this far, the previous two designed to lull them into a false sense of security.

Anyone could copy a person's retinal and voice data with modern technology, Britannian spies did it all the time, and while Bartley was confident in his ability to stand up under interrogation, it wouldn't have done them any good to learn his password, since it would only have allowed ONE person to bypass the second door.

But nobody could completely replicate another person's vital signs to the extent it could bypass the third doors medical scanner. Many would rightfully assume it to be a palm-print recognizer, and it was actually listed as such on the blueprints. Even if they somehow managed to force Bartley to open the door for them, his irregular heart rate and perspiration would have let the system now that something was wrong, commencing an immediate shut down of the facility.

Bartley was rather proud of it, as it was one of his own personal touches to the security systems.

The door opened onto a large, cavernous space, more akin to a rocket storage bunker than a laboratory, with technicians racing around, monitoring various screens and readouts, as they gathered information on the object standing in the center of the room.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

At first glance, you would assume it to be some sort of melted, avant-garde artwork, a modern artist's means of expressing oneself. A closer look would reveal that, despite its inorganic appearance, the strange, towering shape was ALIVE, and surprisingly organic to the touch.

It resembled a plant, though not one that anyone had ever seen before, with a long, winding stem that felt equal parts organic and artificial, clumps of leaves at it's base, and a drooping bud that was, in fact, a bright red crystal.

The plant had been discovered a year ago, in the crater caused by the asteroid that had almost crushed Kururugi Suzaku during the Black Rebellion, a fact many Britannian's were torn about.

The meteor, now named 'Zero's Requiem' by the Britannian military top Brass, had been recovered in secret, and brought to this secure facility for study. By that stage, it had already taken on plant-like features, and the energy readings coming off it were enough to make the energy research divisions drool at the mouth, as despite it's small size, it gaze of the same level of energy as a nuclear power plant going at maximum capacity.

Emperor Charles, seeing a potential new source of energy, had ordered the meteor's existence be kept secret, Zero's death being attributed to Kururugi. Bartley, who's facility was already operating with discretion on behalf of the Geass order, was entrusted with uncovering what secrets he could about this strange new life form.

So far their research hadn't turned up squat, other than the fact that the plant seemed to be self sustaining, and seemed to respond to no outside stimuli, even when samples were collected from it's stem.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"It's grown at least another ten feet since the last report." Bartley reported, walking up to the railing, his hands behind his back as he eyed the plant with a careful expression "So far it hasn't responded to outside stimuli, though we've been careful to avoid anything that might cause irreparable damage. There doesn't seem to be any reproductive systems typical to earth-based flora, though it seems to respond positively to sunlight, or rather certain UV rays."

Rolo's eyes flicked to the overhead lamps, which were shining on the plant from all angles. His eyes narrowed as he took in the crystalline bud at the plant's head, more specifically at the huddled shadow it the center. "What about the head?"

"Sadly, we were unable to retrieve a sample without risking damage to the plant." Bartley admitted, shaking his head in apology "Despite its appearance, it is more akin to an umbrae than crystal, though admittedly small arms fire seems to bounce right off it."

"And what of the thing inside?" Rolo asked, his cold, emotionless eyes never leaving the mysterious shadow within that was visible only when light shone off the bud's surface "Has there been any response?"

"We've hooked up several monitors to the bud since it was first discovered." Bartley admitted, leading the assassin over to a console, where a lone technician was monitoring several vital signs "Whatever it is in there, it's most assuredly alive, there's a heartbeat, but no signs of higher brain activity."

"It's almost like a womb." The technician spoke up, flinching slightly as Rolo's gaze landed on her, realizing she hadn't been given permission to speak "What I mean to say is that whatever is in there is being sustained by the energy from the plant, almost like a child in the womb."

"This is all merely speculation of course." Bartley added hurriedly, diverting the assassin's attention away from his subordinate "We've yet to determine if the vital signs are part of the plant, or a separate entity altogether. For all we know, it could simply be an organ indigenous to the plant itself."

"I see." Rolo noted, nodding his head in understanding, his eyes trailing slowly upwards to land on the bud, narrowing slightly at the chill it sent up his spine. He didn't know why, but every time he gazed at the thing, he had this unusual sense of apprehension, as if he were waiting for something to happen.

"By the way." The assassin spoke up, turning back to face Bartley, who'd been conversing with another tech regarding the power readings coming off the plant "Prince Schneizel asked me to escort you to his research facility in Texas, apparently some of his scientists wish to discuss having the plant transferred there."

'I'll just BET they do.' Bartley grumbled, recalling the 2nd princes little clique of brown-nosing egg-heads with a hint of disgust. One such egghead, Earl Lloyd Asplund, the creator of the revolutionary Lancelot Knightmare piloted by Kururugi, held a particular spot on the General's black list, as he always seemed so damnably smug. It didn't help that he had good reason to be smug, what with his Lancelot outdistancing the existing Knightmare Frames by a wide margin.

Leaving instructions with his team to continue to monitor the plant, the General led Rolo out of the bunker, breezing past the security systems as he made his way to his office to prepare for yet another grueling debate with Schniezel's flunky's.

Unnoticed by anyone, the monitor devoted to mental activity gave a slight ping.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

'Who am I?' the figure wondered, his eyes slowly opening but seeing nothing but all encompassing darkness spread out before him, a feeling of weightlessness washing over him as he gazed around.

'Who's hand is this?' he wondered, blinking at the appendage that extended away from him, as if to grasp at the shadows 'Oh…it's mine…' he noted, watching idly as the palm turned towards him, slowly closing the long, elegant fingers and opening them, marveling at how fluidly they operated.

The being's earliest existence had been one of pain, sheer, unbridled agony had composed every conscious moment, a suffering that had known no end until recently, where his mind had escaped into this shadowy realm beyond pain.

'How did I get here?' he wondered, floating aimlessly in the sea of darkness, as if drifting through space, save for the lack of stars 'What am I doing here? Why am I here?'

'**Destroy.'**

'Destroy what?' the being wondered, not even questioning the second voice that had apparently sounded within his own head 'What is my purpose?'

'**Destroy all enemies.'**

'Enemies?' the figure wondered, brow furrowing in confusion as the voice echoed in his head, some deep, dark emotion rising from the back of his mind 'What enemies?'

An image of a blue planet appeared in his mind, populated by a race of two legged creatures of varying races and status. He saw them living bunched together like cattle in massive cities, saw them eking out a meager existence in the wastelands. He saw them living opulently and in poverty, committing atrocities and working miracles for one another. He saw soldiers brutally massacre an enemy city, as well as a woman holding her newborn child in her arms.

'**Enemies.'**

_'NO!'_

Before the beings eyes, the images of countless, faceless human beings, were replaced by a man with his white hair styled like a judge's wig, dressed in a purple military uniform with a cloak and breeches. The man sat beneath a massive crest, a lion and snake imposed on a red cross over a blue background.

The massacring soldiers were replaced with giant, assorted mechanical figures, piloted by men and women that wore a uniform with the same crest.

'These are my enemies?' the being wondered, his minds racing as he tried to take in all the information at once.

'**All humans are your enemies.'**

_'No! Our enemy is Britannia!'_

'Britannia?' the being queried, holding his left eye as it twinged, a sudden spike of pain lancing through his mind 'My enemy is Britannia?'

'**All humans are your enemies.'**

_'Britannia is the enemy!'_

'Yes…'the figure muttered, features hardening as the second voices words dragged more memories to the surface 'Britannia is the enemy.'

'**You will destroy all enemies.'**

_'You will destroy Britannia!'_

'I will…destroy all enemies…' the figure growled, his hand clenching over his left eye as he glared at the cracking darkness around him 'I will…destroy Britannia! I am-!'

A single word tore through his memory, a name, and a symbol, of a being shrouded in a black cloak, his face obscured by a black mask in the shape of a hawk, the word screaming from his lips, as if torn from his very being, the dual voices screaming it alongside his own.

_"**ZERO!"**_

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Within the bunker, warning klaxons screamed to life as the energy reading from the plant went crazy. The technicians, running around like headless chickens without Bartley to reign the in, were so panicked that they failed to notice the twin bursts of purple light at the center of the bud, the crystal like cocoon cracking as the being contained within moved for the first time in over a year.

A clawed armored hand punched through the crystal, sending a spray of copper colored fluid spraying through the air. A second joined, it, the two limbs widening the rip as the being inside tore his way into the world in a savage mockery of rebirth.

He reared his head back, howling at the of his lungs, the mechanized roar shaking the very walls of the underground cavern as the technicians ran around in a mindless panic, pounding on the doors in a bid to get them open, only to be locked in with the being as the security protocols activated, sealing the room tight.

With a crash, the figure dropped to the floor, landing on armored feet, leaving a sizeable dent in the steel floor, the pod behind him withering away as the life-fluid drained out of it.

Standing at over two meters tall, dressed in black armor, trimmed with red and gold, the armored figure looked like something out of a nightmare, a nightmare that, to the technicians, was only about to get worse.

"Open fire!" one of the guards yelled, bringing his rifle to bear and emptying a clip into the giant alongside his men. The bullets, however, bounced off the armor like pebbles hurled at a tank, only serving to draw the giant's attention to them, the purple light that composed its eyes narrowing as it registered the insignia on their uniforms.

"Britannia…" it growled, the voice modulated, as if it were speaking through a filter, though the venom and anger in its tone was all too understandable as it slowly turned, advancing towards them "My enemy…"

"C-call for back up!" the guard yelled, yelling over his shoulder as the creature turned to face them "Tell them to get Knightmare sin here on the-!"

The man's words were cut off as his head was severed from his body, the terrified technicians looking on helplessly as the corpse fell to the floor, the monstrosity standing over it like the angel of death.

"Britannia is my enemy…" it growled, tossing the head of the guard, which bore a startled expression, to the side, the purple lights ofit's eyes narrowing as it glared at the cowering technicians, the hatches on it's shoulder pads opening ominously "I will…DESTROY!"

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Bartley, who was reclining in his seat on Rolo's personal transport, going over his strategies for warding off Schneizel's lackey's for the umpteenth time, suddenly startled as the plane shook, turning to eye Rolo, who was instantly alert at the unexpected turbulence.

"Captain, what the devil was that?!" the General demanded, gripping his seat for support as he spoke into the phone attached to his armrest that connected directly to the cockpit "What the devil's going on?!"

"S-Sir!" the pilot gaped, his voice laced with terror as his crewmates scrambled about, trying to right the aircraft and check on the cargo they were carrying "The…the facility behind us…just detonated!"

"WHAT?!" Bartley demanded, his eyes wide as he spun round, gaping out the window at the massive pillar of smoke that was rising from the hidden facility, beacon that could be seen for miles in the desert sands.

'What could have happened?!' the General gaped, his face a mask of pure, unadulturated horror as he thought of all the lives that had been lost there, and how close he'd come to being among them 'Nobody but the emperor and Schniezel knows this facility exists!'

"What's that?" Rolo wondered, eyes narrowing suspiciously at something outside the window, Bartley turning to follow his gaze, blinking at the purple light that was apparently emerging from the smoke, heading straight towards them.

"EVASIVE MANEUVERS!" the General yelled, throwing himself to the floor as the plane swerved to avoid the attack, cursing as the shockwave from the near collision tore one of the engines from the craft.

Rolo, who'd been beside the window this all time, could only gape after the comet of purple light, shaped like some iridescent phoenix, an armored figure just barely visible within the light, before it rushed away towards the horizon, the plane crashing towards the desert floor below.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hovering just within the atmosphere, the armored figure known as Zero gazed down at the planet below, glowing purple eyes narrowed as he took in the numerous bodies of land beneath him.

'It would appear that the world is much larger than I'd first thought.' He noted with a dismissive air, arms crossed as he glazed down on the world 'Still, it should be a simple matter to find Britannia from up here…hm?'

Without warning, almost of their own volition, Zero's eyes were drawn to a small island chain of the coast of the largest continent, only visible because of his altitude. The glowing purple lights of his eyes narrowed, his mind racing as feelings it awoke within him, both good and bad.

There was something about this small, island nation that drew him towards it, something so deep, so profound, that it overrode his desire to seek out Britannia and assault them from on high.

'Shouldn't hurt to check it out.' He muttered, uncrossing his arms as he tilted towards the planet, the thrusters on his back firing as he tore through the atmosphere at speeds that would rip a fighter jet to pieces, aiming for the coastline of the island nation.

Unbeknownst to the armored giant, the feelings that awoke within him were akin to those felt upon a long lost relative's return, a sense of homecoming, of return.

And so, with the world completely unaware of what transpired in the desert, the Tekkaman known as Zero descended on Area 11.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

And there you have it, the world's first 'Tekkaman Blade'/'Code Geass' Crossover attempt.

Basically takes part in an alternate version of R2.

The events of season one are the same, but instead of being captured, a Radam tekkapod crashed into Lelouch, apparently killing him. Suzaku took the credit and became a knight of the Round, and the Black Knights were left leaderless, as Kallen saw his 'death' as well.

For those wondering, Lelouch, or rather, Zero's Tekkaman transformation looks just like Blade's, but the color scheme is that of the Gawain Knightmare frame from season 1. (Black overall body, red shoulder pads and chest armor, with gold trim around the edges, mouth guard and Visor)

Also, his helmet, in Tekkaman mode, resembles Blades, but is shaped like his old Zero Helmet with Wing Knight's (Kamen Rider) visor.

Other than that, his powers, and weapons, are identical to Blades.

This work was inspired after seeing the Gawain's Hadron cannons (which literally SCREAMED Voltekka to those who've seen Tekkaman Blade), and after being inspired by Hung Nguyen's Tekkadread series, which is awesome.

Hope you like this one as much as the others, I think it's got some potential.

* * *


	9. Yajuu Senran N: Beast Wars N

Been a while hasn't it?

Here's yet another delightful little brainchild that has hidden itself in an abandonned corner of my brain for some time.

Enjoy!

* * *

Theft and Pursuit.

_Space; considered by many to be the great equalizer, for before the vastness of the constantly stretching void, all else is as dust on the wind._

_But while the void itself is vast, cold and forbidding, it is not without life, as scattered throughout it's numerous nebulae and galaxies, life, in a variety of shapes and forms, has strived and evolved, societies constantly rising and falling, prospering and failing, shining and fading, in an endless cycle of life that lit the void in defiance of it's cold, merciless depths._

_These societies, often light-years apart, are as diverse and different in their own, unique way, though a surprising majority seem to have evolved to a specific mould…as in they walked on two legs, had two arms etc. Most of these tended to be carbon based life forms, similar in appearance, albeit with the occasional odd twist, to a species that would grow to be the most dominant on their world, which led to problems when it came to identifying the alien invaders, as it usually took little effort to hide their distinguishing traits when they infiltrated society._

_However, not all life forms were as conservative in their origins, one particular quadrant of the galaxy had systems populated with chlorophyll based life forms, another quadrant hosted beings that were little more than slugs, dependant on the rays of their home star for life, yet another was host to beings that were composed of nothing short of pure energy, which made shopping for them decidedly difficult, as most electronic devices tended to short out around them._

_Our attention turns to a specific quadrant of the universe, towards a planet that, after centuries of war, had finally reached a rocky peace between the rivalling factions, who had switched from taking pot shots at one another to undermining each other's authority with those most dreaded of foes, paperwork and bureaucracy._

_A planet, where there was more to the inhabitants than meets the eye…_

* * *

_(Main street)_

"I don't know why I bother…" a medium sized figure muttered, covering his faceplate in exasperation as he looked down at the grinning figure before him "I know you're smarter than this Cadet N-1, why do insist on being a wrench in my gears?"

"Awe c'mon sir," the grinning orange bot jested, rubbing the back of its helmet, a wide grin threatening to split his faceplate in two as he did stood on one servo "You gotta admit, it was ultra-gear."

"Defacing the Magnus memorial is NOT Ultra Gear." The larger figure countered, pinching the bridge of what counted as his nose on his faceplate, just above a scratch that marred it horizontally, with a sighed "All it means is that you're on clean-up duty for the next 10 Solar Cycles."

"Oh Come on!" the orange bot exclaimed, suddenly looking less confident and more pleading as he stood before his instructor, hands held out at his sides "It was just a little graffiti! It'll wash right off way before then!"

"There's also the matter of you skipping out on the history lessons to fool around at the space port." The taller bot pointed out, placing his hands on his hips and looking down at the suddenly sheepish orange cadet in annoyance "Or did you think I wouldn't notice that your terminal hadn't been accessed?"

"But the history tracks are boring!" the orange cadet whined, waving his hands before him as if to validate his point "I mean, everyone knows about the great war already, but it's over right? Why do we gotta keep bringing it up?"

"Those who don't learn from the past are doomed to repeat it." The taller bot recited, as if reading the words off a screen, his optics closed as he went into lecture mode "Just because the great war is finished, doesn't mean we can let our guards down, which is why it is imperative that we…" he trailed off, his arm snapping out to the side, launching a bola at the orange bot as he tried to sneak away, sending him crashing face first into the floor as his legs got tied up "get you back to class with your fellow cadets."

"No fair!" the orange cadet whined, his faceplate set in a rebelious scowl, even as he was slung over the taller bot's shoulder, pounding on his back petulantly "I'm way better than those mud-flaps sir!"

"Of course you are," the taller bot noted, his tone laced with sarcasm "that's why you've the worst scores in the history of the academy, voted most likely to become a maintenance drone…" he shook his head "Why I can see your greatness from miles away."

"Aw shove it up your exhaust port!" the orange cadet snapped, though he had the decency to look embarrassed at having his failings pointed out "Just you wait! One day I'll become a Magnus! Then you'll be sorry!"

"Just for THAT, you can expect another ten Solar Cycles on clean-up duty." The mentor bot muttered, his left optic twitching irritably as he purposely jostled his unrepentant cargo "And wouldn't you know it, the sewage system's been acting up again…"

"I'll be good…" the orange bot whimpered, slumping in defeat as he was set down before the gates of the academy "but I still say these lessons are boring." He muttered, even as his mentor led him inside the building "I'd rather be learning how to fly a space cruiser!"

"One step at a time there flyboy," the mentor bot chuckled, patting his orange charge on the head patiently, a good natured smile on his faceplate "Even the Magnus' had to work their way up the ladder," he pulled a bucket and mop out of thin air "That said, I do believe you can get started on those Solar Cycles." He suggested, before walking off and leaving his sputtering ward to his task "Do a good enough job and I'll treat you to at the Ener-amen stall!"

"Yeah, yeah…" N-1 muttered, waving a hand despondently as he watched the mentor bot disappear round a corner, looking around to ensure the coast was clear before grinning, his form seeming to blur for a second, before splitting apart to reveal a second version, perfect in every detail "You know the drill." He grinned, handing the clean-up tools to his double before racing off "Just make sure you don't bump into anyone!"

"Affirmative." The copy replied, nodding its head obediently before setting about the task of mopping up the hallway of the academy, while it's master slipped away out the front doors, making his way towards the spaceport.

* * *

_(Magnus Memorial)_

"This is bad…" Hiruzen Magnus muttered, looking over the silent, offline shells of the unfortunate guards of the Magnus mausoleum, the final resting place for the former Magnus since the beginning of time "How could this have happened?"

"The Tri-Predicus Council have informed us we have their full support." One of his attendants noted, watching as the sparkless shells were carried off "They might like to gripe and moan, but they don't want another war any more than we do."

"It's not a WAR that concerns me…" the aged Magnus admitted, turning his gaze towards the battered doors of the mausoleum, blasted open by missile and laser fire, before walking into it's hallowed corridors.

"I…don't understand…" the attendant admitted, walking alongside his leader with a look of confusion in his optics "I mean sure they defiled the Mausoleum, but it's not like the big guys can complain much, right?"

"Would be that was ALL they did…" Hiruzen muttered, walking past the virtually untouched chambers of his predecessors, before coming to a halt before one chamber, which had been brutally hacked open, his optics narrowing as he looked inside "I knew it."

"Primus!" the attendant cursed, his optics widening in disbelief as he gaped open the mutilated form of the late Magnus interred within the desecrated chamber "Minatron Magnus…They stole his head?!"

"They stole more than just his head…they stole his data-tracks." The Magnus muttered, shaking his head in grim understanding, before turning to the taller bot "A2MA Prime, as Magnus I order you to commandeer a vessel and pursue these renegades! No matter what the cost, we cannot allow them to escape unpunished!"

"Leave it to me!" the Prime stated, pulling off a salute, before racing out of the mausoleum, shifting into an aerial fighter and blasting off for the spaceport, leaving behind the aging Magnus, who shook his head sombrely.

"Forgive me, old friend…" he sighed, looking towards the headless shell of his successor and predecessor, having been forced to take up the mantle of Magnus again with the bot's going offline "rest assured I will take every step to prevent another war."

* * *

_(Space port)_

"Now that's what I'm talking about!" Cadet N-1 noted with a nod, looking on as several science cruisers took off, no doubt off to explore some distant quadrant of the universe, while he didn't appreciate the 'science and research' part of their mission, he could get behind exploring some distant, far-off planet, preferably FAR away from IR-KA Minor and the academy.

One ship in particular had caught his attention, a sleek, almost sinister looking vessel that gave one the impression of some great, swooping predator about to attack. There seemed to be several bots working nearby, looking harried for some reason. Deciding to get a closer look, the orange bot snuck behind a stack of fuel cell crates, peeking round with wide optics as he took in the assembled crew for the first time.

"Predicons?" he wondered, his blue optics widening in alarm as he caught sight of the insect-like insignia on their frames, the cadet ducking behind the crates whenever one of them glanced his way "What're they up to?"

While it was generally admitted that both Maximals and Predicons had been at peace since the end of the great war Stellar Cycles ago, both sides tended to stick to their own sectors unless situations called for them to mingle, and even then both sides kept their weapons at hand, albeit with the safeties on.

One of them, a big, hulking bot with a spiky helmet, was carrying a container when he slipped on a patch of spilt oil, crashing face-plate first into the ground and sending the container sliding away from him. "Careful Slag-head!" a Fem-bot with the appearance of a flier chastised, kicking the larger pred upside his helmet with a look of annoyance on her faceplate "You damage that thing and the boss'll have us melted down for scrap!"

"Sorry…" the giant pred muttered, picking himself up with a grunt of annoyance and sauntering over to the container, picking it up carefully, far more carefully than he had a moment ago, just as warning klaxon's went off throughout the docking bay.

"Slag! They're onto us!" the Fem cursed, whirling round and whipping out a blaster, firing at the security drones that had begun to hover around the ship "Don't just stand there ya rear-bender! Get your slagging frame inside the slagging ship already!"

The big lug didn't waste any more time, tucking the re-captured container under his arm and shifting into what looked like some sort of construction vehicle, racing into the ship even as the foulmouthed-fem backed into it, firing on the oncoming security team as the ship took off.

"What the slag was that?!" N-1 gaped, his blue optics wide with disbelief as he watched the pred-ship blast off, the shockwave knocking everyone to the floor as the engines fired despite still being within the port "They're in a hurry…must be something BIG!"

"N-1!!" a familiar voice called out angrily, the orange bot yelping in horror and ducking back behind his hiding spot as an irate looking IR-KA Minor rolled on the scene in vehicle mode, the mentor bot transforming with a scowl as he glared around the busy spaceport "Where are you cadet?! You think you can skip out on your punishment again?! When I get my hands on you-!"

'Slag…the replica must've been discovered…' the orange cadet reasoned with a wince, watching in trepidation as the raging mentor bot drew ever closer to his current position, only to blink as he spotted another ship nearby, with it's cargo hatch wide open.

* * *

_(Space Port, 5 Klik's Later)_

"And this is the only ship with transwarp tech prepped for launch?" A2MA muttered, the Prime looking over the vessel he was about to commandeer in distaste "It's a science vessel for Primus' sake!"

"Now, now." A calm voice placated, a rather laid-back looking bot pulling up alongside the grim-faced Prime with amusement in his mismatched optics "Any port in a storm right? At least it's not a tug-ship."

"Like they'd outfit tug-ship's with transwarp engines." The Prime countered with a snort, though he allowed a smile to grace his features "At the very least she has weapons…though not enough to take on a pred-ship."

"You make it sound like you're going to war." Another voice called out, the two bot's turning to find the ships captain, a pretty, but stern looking Fem-bot standing in the hatchway, looking down at them with her arms crossed over her chest plate "This is a science vessel, not a warship."

"I don't care if it's a Star Hopper!" A2MA muttered, the grim-faced Prime stepping up onto the gangplank, walking up to the crimson-eyed fem authoritatively "I'm commandeering it to bring in those Predicon renegades."

"No, you're not." The captain countered, the stern looking fem standing in the hatchway, looking down at them with her red optics "Not without me you're not, this is MY ship, so unless you're willing to wait while my crew and I unload our cargo, you're not getting off ground without me." She held up a hand as A2MA opened his mouth to order her out of the way "And before you try to pull rank, you should know that I'm a Prime as well."

"We don't have time for this!" A2MA insisted, the Prime waving his hand towards the skies, in the general direction of the escaped renegades "By now those Predicons could be halfway to the first moon!"

"Then you're going to have to calm down and let ME pilot, aren't you?" the female prime countered with a smug smirk, turning on her heel and walking into the ship, leaving a sputtering A2MA in her wake.

"Well then, now that that's settled." The third bot opined, smiling serenely at his comrade, who merely glared at him as he walked past the embarassed Prime onto the ship "I think I'll tour the ship, get the feel of things."

"You could have told me the captain was a Prime." A2MA muttered, shuffling into the vessel even as the hatch shut behind him, a slight red hue adorning his faceplate "I never felt so embarrassed in my lifecycle!"

"What about that time you over-charged on energon and woke up without your skid plates?" the visor sporting bot reminded him "Or that time you told the Magnus he had one servo in the scrap-heap? Or-?"

"I get it…" A2MA grumbled, glaring at his supposed friend as he made his way through the darkened corridors to the main deck, which was occupied solely by the female from before "Just you to pilot this thing?"

"The rest of my crew are already in their stasis pods for the long haul." The captain admitted, flipping through the controls with an air of experience that earned a look of approval from A2MA "We were originally heading out to study the Spiral Nebulae, several light years from here."

"That's mostly uncharted isn't it?" A2MA noted with interest, the Prime sitting down on one of the unmanned chairs to her right "I don't think anyone but Minatron Magnus has been out to that particular quadrant."

"He discovered it, back when he was a Prime." The captain agreed, typing away at her console to bring up the flight clearance from the guidance tower, slowly bringing the ship off the docking bay floor towards the prepped runway "I was supposed to lead an expedition there to see if we could find new forms of energy." She shook her head with a smirk "Didn't think I'd be drafted for a retrieval mission." She looked up as the clearance finally came through "Hold onto you servos, here we go!"

A2MA barely managed to get a grip on his chair's armrest before the ship's acceleration threw him off it. The Prime shot the captain a look, catching her good-natured smirk at his discomfort, only to blink as a red light flashed on her screen. "Looks like there's something in the cargo-hold…"

"I'll have my partner check it out." A2MA assured the captain, the Prime's optics narrowing as he tapped his helmet, opening a comm-link between himself and their fellow crewmate "You get all that?"

"That and more…" came the oddly amused reply, even as the door to the cockpit opened, revealing the bot with the mismatched optics, who held a struggling orange figure over his shoulder "Looks like we picked up a stowaway."

"Lemme go, slag-head!" the orange bot demanded, a cadet judging from the look of him, the smaller cybertronian thrashing petulantly in the grip of his larger, stronger captor "And I'm not a stowaway either!"

"Oh no?" the Gray-toned bot queried, setting the peeved cadet down and directing him to one of the monitors, which was connected to the outside cameras "Then I suppose that isn't Cybertron drifting further away from us?"

"WHAT?!" the cadet yelped, gaping at the screen, his blue optics widening in horrified disbelief, right before he clamped both hands onto his head in terror "Oh man…IR-KA Minor's gonna blow a gasket!"

"That's nothing compared to what I'M liable to do." The captain muttered, shooting the orange cadet a stern look over her shoulder guard "Don't you know the punishment for sneaking aboard a space ship without permission?"

"Ease up there, captain." A2MA called out soothingly, waving a hand to both placate and gain the Femme's attention "There'll be time enough to court-martial the Sprog after we've finished the mission at hand."

"Who're you calling Sprog, Smeg-Head?!" the cadet roared, apparently taking great offence to the derogatory term, only the grey-bot's hand on his shoulder keeping him from lashing out at the Prime "Think you're so big, I oughta-!"

"KK3, put that brat in a holding cell and shut him up already, would ya?" A2MA muttered, covering his optics in a vain attempt to stave off his anger, the captain covering her faceplate in grudging amusement "We'll deal with him later."

"You heard the bot," the visor-sporting Maximal stated, almost apologetically, as he dragged the still ranting cadet out of the command room with a chuckle "C'mon kid, before you dig a deeper pit for yourself."

"Stop calling me a kid dammit!" the orange cadet snapped, even as he allowed himself to be lead out of the main deck, his optics narrowing as he glared up at the taller bot "I have a name, Cadet N-1 of the Maximal Academy!"

"Well then Cadet," KK3 chuckled, the grey-toned bot's optics smiling at the cadet, his features hidden behind his mouthguard as he lead the way to the cargo hold "My name is KK3, and I'll be your Prime for the duration of this flight."

"P-PRIME?!" N-1 yelped, the cadet looking up into the mismatched, smiling optics of the older bot in alarm, noting for the first time the maximal insignia on his chestplate, before slumping in abject defeat "I'm in deep slag aren't I?"

"Most certainly." KK3 agreed, somehow managing to convene the fact he was smiling despite the visor covering the lower half of his faceplate, pushing the un-resisting cadet into the room and waving as he closed the door behind him "Now just sit there like a good stowaway till we get home, 'kay?"

* * *

_(Cargo Hold)_

'I am so slagged!' was N-1's only thought as he gripped his helmet in terror, already envisioning himself hauled up before the tribunal, which for some reason seemed to be mostly composed of numerous IR-KA Minors, all of whom were in full spit-fire mode as they glared down at him "IR-KA Minor's gonna grind my gears into mech-fluid for this!"

Calming down slightly, shaking his head to clear it of the image of him being melted down for scrap, the orange cadet took in the room he'd been consigned to, running his optics over the row of stasis pods in amazement, wondering just how many of his fellow Cybertronians were currently resting in stasis within.

"Man, if I weren't in so much trouble this'd be SO Gear." the cadet muttered, walking down the aisle between the pods, looking around the hangar with a look of amazement on his faceplate "Wonder if they're gonna wake 'em up…eh?"

He blinked, his optics widening as they locked onto one pod in particular, which was sitting separated from the rest. The thing was MASSIVE, at least five times the size of a regular pod, and covered from head to foot with enough restraints to hold a star hopper in place. The normally see-through glass of the pod was sprayed a reflective black, with a massive Yellow 'X' imposed over it, a skull grotesque skull in the centre.

"Whoa…" the cadet whispered, shuffling up to the enormous pod in amazement, his curiosity overriding his logic circuits as he placed one hand on the glass, peering into it in a bid to see the maximal inside "You're a big one, aren't you?" he looked at the restraints warily "Wonder what those're for…hm?"

He trailed off, his optics locking onto something that had been dropped, haphazardly, just to the right of the pod. Bending down, the Cadet's optics narrowed in confusion as he pulled the small, orange data-pad up to his faceplate, realising upon inspection, that it appeared to be a transcript of some sort.

"Cyber-Cyber Paradise?" he muttered, sweat dropping as the moving image of a pretty femme with an impressive chassis appeared on screen, apparently running from her suitor, who was giving pursuit in vehicle mode "Oh well, least it'll give me something to do…"

* * *

_(Command Deck)_

"Well then." KK3 greeted, walking back onto the bridge with that peculiar, hidden smile of his "Now that I'm through putting the fear of Primus into unruly cadets, what's the deal with our band of renegades?"

"We locked onto their engine signature about 5 Cycles ago," the captain admitted, guiding her ship expertly through the vast expanse of space, a small beacon in the shape of the Predicon insignia on screen representing the renegade's stolen ship "Still, this is the first I heard of Predicons outfitting their ships with Transwarp engines."

"Council okayed it last Stellar Cycle." A2MA muttered, clearly disapproving of the Magnus' decision, but unwilling to voice those concerns at the minute "All in the interest of 'fairness to our fellow bots' they said."

"And we all know how you feel about 'fairness' towards Predicons." KK3 agreed, the grey-toned Maximal smiling at his friend and colleague with his mismatched optics, earning a grunt from the other Prime.

"Don't get me wrong." The blue helmeted bot countered, looking stern "I'm all for prolonging the peace, and I've worked with Predicons before." He glared at the ship schematics for the stolen vessel "But that's no research vessel, that's a warship, armed to the teeth and outfitted with Transwarp tech, and all we've got is a science vessel with a few plasma cannons and a cargo of stasis pods."

"Not to mention a gutsy cadet not even out of the academy." KK3 added with his peculiar optic-smile, earning an annoyed glare from A2MA, who didn't see what was so funny, and an amused chuckle from the captain.

"Well that evens the odds a little." The Femme noted with wry amusement, earning an incredulous look from A2MA and a beam of approval from KK3, even as the alarm went off "Slag, they're going to jump!"

"Lock onto their trans-warp signature and follow them through the warp-gate!" A2MA ordered, turning back to the console with a frown "KK3, send off a message to Cybertron, tell them to follow our signal and send the co-ordinates with them!"

"On it." KK3 agreed, the grey-toned Prime's features suddenly serious as he pulled up a chair on the captain's other side, pulling up the communications array and getting in contact with their home, even as the ship started to shake.

"Slag, they're firing on us!" the captain cursed, swerving slightly to fend off a few stray shots, her crimson optics narrowing as she returned fire with a fierce snarl "Damage my ship will you? Eat Plasma!"

"Try to knock out the engines, but do NOT destroy the ship!" A2MA called out, even as the Prime tried to lock the ships tracking beacon onto their engine signature "We cannot lose them OR their cargo!"

"Cybertron got the message!" KK3 called out, the grey-toned Maximal turning to look over his shoulder-guard at his friend and fellow Prime "But it'll take at least half a Mega Cycle before they can launch a ship!"

"Warp-gate opened!" The captain called out, her crimson optics narrowing as she watched the empty expanse of space in front of their target distort, like ripples in a pool of water "Shall we pursue?"

"Transmit the coordinates and follow them!" A2MA ordered, the grim-faced Prime nodding his head at the captain before turning back to KK3 "Tell those gear heads at the spaceport to shift gears and hurry it up!"

* * *

_(Predicon ship)_

"Slag! We're being followed!" the loudmouthed Femme cursed, glaring at her monitor as she tried to get a lock on the Maximal ship that had followed them into the warp gate "They think they can shoot us down with an outdated clunker like that?! Fragging Slag heads!"

"Do keep your voice modulator in check, would you?" an articulate voice called out, the Femme turning to find the second-in command standing behind her "Besides, the weapons won't fire while we're in transit." He looked over the image on screen and scoffed "And what does it matter if a few vermin follow in our wake? A science vessel is no match for the Hydra."

"Be that as it may…" a dark voice called out, the duo looking up to find their leader sitting in the command chair overhead, his hand placed on the container that the big oaf had dropped back at the spaceport, almost petting it "I would prefer it if they…disappeared."

"At once, sir." The articulate voice agreed, before turning to the other crewmembers with a scowl "Don't just stand there, the second we return to normal space, train all weapons on that ship!"

* * *

And I'll leave off there for now.

This was something I thought up while I was still on the Naruto Band Wagon. I'm still a fan, but I've decided to cut back for a while, add some variety to my work.

I'm sure from the sublte hints, you can guess who's supposed to be who here, right?

Anyways, if thisgets enough support, i might just bring it to life!

Till all are one!


	10. Lelouch, Through The Decade

The following is the result of yet another sleepless night after watching one too many episodes of Kamen Rider online whilst chatting with my good buddy Sketchfan.

When it came time to log off, this beauty was sitting on my screen, though I swear to god I don't remember typing it.

To Ten-Faced-Paladin and Kamen Rider Chrome, the two who have greatly influenced me with their own Kamen Rider works, I'd really value your opinions on this latest working.

* * *

Journey Begins.

'Where…am I?' a voice wondered, the owner's eyes opening to reveal an infinite whiteness that transcended all else 'Where is…this place…?'

Scenes flashed before the beings eyes, like a montage of old movies. It witnessed the rise and fall of nations, empires forming, only to crumble to dust, millennia passing in mere seconds.

'What…is this?' the being wondered, mind oddly detached, as if the scenes meant nothing at all 'What does it mean?'

The witnessed the child being born, and in seconds watched it grow to adulthood, the person's life unfolding in a matter of moments, yet the being saw every detail as if it were in slow motion.

'Why…am I here?' the being muttered, a slender hand coming up, only to pause, images of a sword stabbing through flesh rising to the forefront of it's fragmented mind 'Oh…' it noted, almost disinterestedly 'am I dead?'

"You are." A voice spoke up, the being's world jerking, eyes widening as he found himself, for indeed he was a he, standing in a strange, off-white world, naked as the day he was born, though strangely, he felt no distress at the fact.

"What is this?" the being wondered, looking down at his hands with wonderment in his eyes, marvelling at their functionality and design as he flexed the fingers experimentally, as if he'd never seen them before "Where is this?"

"This is the gate." A voice that was neither male nor female called out, the naked man turning, eyes blinking at the sight of a strange, human shaped silhouette, if such a thing could be called such, squatting in front of the largest, most ominous looking gate imaginable.

The overall shape of the silhouette was human, but that was where the resemblance ended. It had no features, no gender, not even any details. There was no skin, no hair, not even bones or muscle, simply a white outline against the off-white background, one 'arm' resting on it's 'knee', it's unseen gaze boring into the man.

"The Gate?" the man repeated, heedless of his nudity, or the unnerving weight of the entity's sightless stare as he looked around warily, but there was nothing else around them "The gate to where?"

"Who knows?" the being shrugged, the 'shoulders' rising almost noncommittally, it's genderless voice devoid of emotion, though the man got a feeling of smugness from it, as if it knew something he didn't, which at that moment, seemed likely "If you want to find out, you need to pay the toll."

"Toll?" the man repeated, blinking in confusion as he gazed at his mysterious companion, if such a being could be referred to as such "I'm afraid I've nothing to offer." He countered, holding his hands out at his sides to emphasize his nudity.

"Oh I've no need for money." The being countered, amusement in it's tone as it raised one hand out, palm up, as if to clutch something "the toll is unique to each person…depending on what they wish." The hand extended to the figure "What is it you desire?"

"My…desire…" the man wondered, his eyes going to his own hand, which he noted now was rather slim, hardly that of a man's at all, little more than a teenager at best "I want…"

Sudden, distant pain lanced through his chest, the man looking down, his eyes distant, at the wound that appeared there, as if something had stabbed through him. Oddly enough, no blood flowed.

"**Destroy…"**

'What?' the man wondered, his eyes flinching as he reached up from his chest wound to his head, as the echoing voice arose from within 'What is this…?'

"**Destroy…worlds..."**

'Why would I want to destroy anything?' the man countered, suddenly dizzy, the hand on his chest growing sticky with blood as he swayed before the impassive entity.

"**Destroy worlds... to create…"**

"Worlds…" the man breathed, his words coming out as a ragged gasp as he staggered, landing on his knees as he doubled over, his arms holding his chest as he fell "Worlds…"

"So your wish is for worlds is it?" the entity noted, intrigue in it's tone as it slowly got to it's feet with a grunt "Not an easy wish, even by my standards…" it mused, padding towards the gasping man, or at least moving towards him, for his steps made no sound on that strange, barren floor "Still, a toll must be paid, and far be it from me to deny you…"

The man looked up, his eyes gazing upon that featureless face as the entity knelt, extending a hand towards him, almost kindly, one hand uncurling from around his chest to reach towards the offered limb with bloody fingertips.

"Welcome to the gate…" the entity greeted, fleshless fingers latching onto the man's hand like a viper's kiss, a wide, menacing smile, laced with mockery splitting its featureless face in two as the man gaped on in horror "Little Prince…"

* * *

_Inside the gate..._

The man screamed, his eyes wide with terror, even as the gates crashed open, revealing a mass of darkness and glowing red eyes, shadowy tendrils looming over the entity to grab at him, dragging him into the darkness beyond. Agony lanced through him, his screams tearing from his lips in a rising crescendo, until he went so far beyond pain that he could no longer feel it, nor hear his own screams of agony.

'Make it stop!' he wished to cry out, but he could find no means to voice his plea, his throat working fruitlessly, and his ears hearing nothing, for all he knew he could still be screaming himself hoarse 'Dear God make it stop!'

"**Do you know why the snow is white?..."** a voice asked suddenly, the tone soft, lilting, yet all too clear despite his screams of agony, the man somehow knowing instinctively that it was a woman that was speaking _"_**It's because it's forgotten what color it's supposed to be..."**

"**The world and the people in it…"** another voice stated, this one laced with determination, grim resolve, and deep laced anger, the tone decidedly male "**they will never be what we want them to be!"**

'Who are you?!?!' the man demanded, the voices tearing at his heart, his mind, even as he was carried down the path of agony, the clutching hands tearing him apart and putting him back as they pleased.

"All this power…" yet another voice murmured, another woman's the man dimly realized, but decidedly firmer than the first, and laced with amazement and growing anger "ARRGH, do the right thing!"

'What is the right thing?!?!' the man demanded, seeking a face to tie to that voice, trying to reach out for it, only for the agony to increase, a sense of loss coming over him as he fell deeper into the abyss. 'Why is this happening?' he wondered, a sense of loss washing over him as he fell deeper into the realm of pain and fading memories 'What did I do to deserve this…am I being punished?'

"**It wasn't me who was wrong..." **a new voice declared, male, and strangely familliar, the words spoken in a tone that was strong and firm, laced with absolute certainty and anger** "It was the world!"**

'The world?' the man wondered, the new voice's words striking a chord somewhere deep within his heart of hearts, wondering where on earth he could have heard them before 'Then…what should I do…?'

**"The world won't change with pretty words alone"** the voice declared, the words ringing true to the man's mind as the agony began to fade away. **"The only ones who should kill are those who are prepared to be killed."**

'The resolve to kill…or be killed…' the man wondered, even as scenes flashed before his eyes, scenes of giant, armoured machines clashing in mid-air, or at sea. Of people, kind faced and scowling, of men, women and children, all in various stages of emotion 'But what is that resolve for…?'

"**In order to change EVERYTHING." **The voice proclaimed, another surge of memories washing over the man as he continued to fall.

'Who…are you?' he wondered, trying to place a name to the voice that was echoing in his head, one hand, which was little more than several particles held loosely together, reaching out in wonderment 'Who are you…?'

**"I am the ally to those without power…"**

The images changed, replaced with a scene of a barren canyon, the man looking on in wonderment as what appeared to be a full scale war broke out.

Tens, hundreds, thousands of armoured figures rushed into the canyon, some of them riding on vehicles, others charging on foot. From the sky came a great roar, and two trains, one red and gold, the other green, descended from on high, the warriors mounted on their hulls opening fire, only to be cut down in a fiery explosion.

An enraged roar heralded the arrival of a giant fortress, like a medieval caste, only with the head, wings, and tail of a massive dragon extending from it's sides. Mounted on the prow of this strange fortress was another armoured warrior, and flanking it were two more dragons, of oriental design, one red, and one black, with corresponding warriors on their backs.

**"Those with power, fear me!"**

The dragons launched their attack, only to shot down, the fortress dragon collapsing on it's side with an agonized roar, even as it's fellows continued their reckless charge. From behind, a massive armoured figure, like a gorilla almost, reared up on its hind legs, angered by it's comrade's fall, only to be silenced itself by another explosion.

**"Those who are powerless, seek me!"**

Undaunted by the giant's fall, the surviving armoured warriors continued their reckless charge, roaring out in unity as they advanced on their foe, only to be cut down en masse, the survivors crying out as the ground beneath them exploded.

**"You either live with me or die with me!"**

The man shielded his eyes, only to gape in horror at the sight before him, of the numerous armoured warriors, which now lay lifeless on the ground, the smoking heaps of their vehicles and weapons lying scattered all around them.

"What…" the man wondered, realizing with a start that he was standing in that barren canyon, that he could smell the scorched earth, that he could feel the clamminess of the air, hear the crackling of the fires and the dieing echoes of destruction "What is this?"

A cry from the distance drew his attention to the end of the canyon, where the body count seemed the highest. One of the dragons, the red, oriental one, let loose one last, keening roar, before collapsing, it's struggles stilling as a light shone over it, a figure hovering in midair, arms at his sides, palms out.

The man blinked, gazing at the figure before him in wonderment and growing terror as it loomed closer, unable to turn nor avert his eyes from the being as it descended on him like some evil angel, it's sinister green eyes glowing ominously.

"**I am the Destroyer and Creator of worlds."**

* * *

_A Garden, in the rain..._

The man stumbled forwards, his eyes wide, his hand outstretched as if to grab something, the other clutching his chest, only to blink, pulling up short at the feeling of rain pounding down on him.

'What…?' he wondered, blinking in confusion, gazing at his extended right hand, watching the rain water trickle off it in wonderment, noting with some surprise that he was now dressed, though his clothes were soaked through.

'A dream?' he wondered, looking down at his clothes, noting with some interest that it seemed like some sort of uniform, black pants, a blazer lined with golden thread, and smart, dress shoes 'No…' he muttered, clenching a hand over his chest, where phantom pain remained 'But then where…?'

"Konbanwa…" a voice greeted, the man blinking, looking up in surprise to find he was standing in the middle a massive garden, lined on all sides by an ornate wooden fence. Before him lay a traditional Japanese style house, though how he knew it was Japanese was beyond him, the roofs, walls and windows marked with the sign of a crescent moon, the tiles dark and the walls wooden.

A figure lounged on the walkway, sheltered from the rain by the roof, his mismatched eyes gazing out at the man impassively from behind a pair of spectacles. He was dressed in a practical, but nonetheless elaborate men's kimono, despite the elegance of his clothes, he seemed lanky and thin, little more than a teenager himself. A long Japanese pipe rested in one hand, the smoke curling around him like mist.

"Right on time…" the youth noted, a pocket watch disappearing into the sleeve of his kimono as he sat up, the pipe held between two fingers as he regarded the man before him, his features welcoming, but oddly detached.

"Um…good evening…" the man replied, a little uncertainly, only to blink as he realized that he'd responded in the same language as the teen before him, though how he'd done so he honestly hadn't a clue "Where am I?"

"In my garden." The teen replied cryptically, a small smile on his bespectacled face as he blew a trail of smoke into the air, watching it curl over his head in bemusement "Or rather, in the garden of my shop."

"A shop?" the man wondered, looking up at the large house behind the man, a sudden feeling washing over him, a certainty that there was more to those elaborate, traditional walls than met the eyes.

"Yes…a shop." The teen replied, taking another draw on his pipe "Though you'll forgive me if I don't invite you inside." He turned to regard the man with a lidded stare "Your kind aren't normally welcome here."

"Sorry…" the man muttered, though internally he felt the stirring of some buried emotion, most likely annoyance, at the teen's attitude. just what did he mean by 'your kind' anyways? He didn't strike the man as the type to succumb to petty racism "I'll leave."

"No such thing." The teen countered, shaking his head in contradiction as he smiled at the man, a wry, self-mocking smile "Why do you think I'm out here? I can carry out a transaction just as easily on the porch as inside."

"I'm sorry…what?" the man wondered, honestly bewildered by this strange, enigmatic teen's words. At the very least he was human, unlike the faceless entity from before, but nonetheless he exhibited an air of…strangeness about him.

"So then…" the teen noted, tapping out his pipe in a nearby, ornate ashtray, refilling it with fresh coal and taking a long drag "you have a wish, correct?" he nodded at the man's look of shock "Don't be surprised, that's this shop's speciality."

"Um…I think there's been a mistake." The man countered, looking confused, and more than a little unnerved, at this sudden turn of events, it reminded him rather too much of the featureless entity from the gate "I don't have a wish…"

"But you do." The man countered, a wry smile on his lips as he gestured behind the man to a set of gate posts, the came crescent moon carved on their sides "Everyone that comes to this shop has a wish…" here his gaze grew lidded "The problem…is whether you can afford the price?"

"Price?" the man repeated, a feeling of deja-vu washing over him as he recalled the unnerving smile of the faceless entity, patting his new clothes down with a frown "Like I told the other guy…I don't have anything."

"But you do." The youth countered, his features solemn, almost wistful as he eyed the drenched figure from his spot on the porch "In fact, if I'm not mistaken…you've already paid part of it in coming here…"

He turned, ignoring the man's look of confusion, calling into the shop, summoning two girls, one in black with long blue pigtails, and one in white with short pink hair. "Maru, Moro." The bespectacled teen murmured, his eyes gentle as he smiled at the duo, who were standing hand in hand "Fetch THOSE from the storehouse, will you?"

"Can I get an umbrella while we're at it?" the man demanded, his tone polite, but decidedly pointed, only to scowl as the girls giggled at him and ran off, his irate stare landing on the bespectacled teen, who seemed most amused at the situation "I mean is this anyway to run a business?"

"Store policy." The shopkeeper countered with an ALMOST apologetic smile, though the man could see the look of bemusement in his eyes "Your kind couldn't enter even if they tried…the barrier would repel you."

"My kind?" the man repeated, blinking in confusion, only to shudder as the entity from the gate's words registered, a hand going to his chest, where not moments ago had been a massive, beelding wound "You mean…"

"Got it! Got it!" the twins cheered, racing around the corner, each of them carrying a strange device in her hands. The blue one carried what looked like a belt, though the buckle was rather large, like a giant white camera. The pink one carried a strange, metallic case, almost like a book.

"Indeed…" the teen nodded, blowing a gentle stream of smoke, his eyes never leaving his stunned customer "the dead are not welcome in this world…in order to grant your wish, I must send you to a world where you can exist."

"A world I can exist in?" the man repeated, as if unable to believe what he'd just heard, only to blink as the twins raced up to him, the blue one fastening the belt to his waist, while the pink one clipped the weird case to his left hip "Hey what're you-HEY!"

"I'm afraid there's little more I can do for you." The shopkeeper sighed, looking on impassively as the twins shoved the taller man before them, moving him towards the garden gate posts with surprising strength "The rest of your journey depends on you."

"Hold it!" the man demanded, looking over his shoulder, trying to free himself from the little girls' grasps, only to almost stagger as they shoved him out the gateway, the man righting himself with a grunt, before whipping round to glare at them "How will I…know…?"

He gaped, his eyes wide with disbelief at the sight of the empty lot on the other side of the gateposts. There wasn't even a fence anymore, simply two, rather odd looking gateposts, carved with the crescent moon. On the other side was an abandoned lot, filled with garbage and various other throwaway items.

And judging by the smell, the lot had been like this for some time.

* * *

_Outside the gateposts, sidewalk..._

"What the…hell…?" the man wondered, turning his head left and right in confusion, unable to comprehend what he was seeing, or rather, failing to see "But it was…I was just…!"

He paused, taking a look at his surroundings, noting with interest that it had stopped raining too, or rather, that the rain had vanished along with the store.

'That's not the only thing that's changed.' He noted, a frown on his face as he eyed his clothes, which had changed almost without him noticing, save for the buckle and case attached to his waist.

Rather than the black blazer he had worn second before, he was now clad in a white, button up shirt with short sleeves, a black undershirt lying underneath. His pants, while still black, had changed from suit pants to casual slacks, the kind favoured by teenagers the world over. His dress shoes had even been changed to sneakers, with a strange, winged glyph on the back of the heels and toes.

To top it all off, there was a large duffle bag, the kind used by athletes, and a book bag, the kind used by students, resting at his feet.

"Looks like they at least gave me some supplies." He muttered, shaking his head in disbelief as he knelt down, unzipping the briefcase and rifling through it, coming up with several changes of clothing, a phone, and a wallet."

"Hope this isn't stolen…" he muttered, only to wince as his stomach growled, looking around for a restaurant or café, only to sigh as he realized there were none nearby "First things first…" he deduced, picking up the two bags with a grunt "Find food, then answers."

Unbeknownst to the teen, his arrival had not gone entirely unnoticed. The figure lurking in the shadows watched him go, a gloved fist tightening in anger as he glared after the departing teen, eyes narrowing at his defenceless back.

"So…" the shadowy figure muttered, watching the teen scamper off in search of food, light glinting off his helmet as he withdrew into the shadows "you've finally come…"

* * *

And I'll leave off there.

Some of you might have guessed the identity of our little world-traveller, but for those who haven't it's Lelouch.

Something about his last words in R2 struck a chord with me somewhere, and so, Lelouch has now been elected as the new Decade.

Note: There will be drastic revisions to certain plot scenes, but other than that, things will follow the basic episodes guidline of Decade.

Also, some of you might have guessed which world he's in from the subtle clues I gave at the end.

Kuuga was the first stop on Decade's journey, so the Kuuga of this world must be...

Also, yes, Lelouch has his own 'Narutaki', though who this meddler is won't be revealed until much later.

I really hope to get this one off the ground, but again, it all depends on the reviewing public!


	11. VandenO

Hey there all you in fiction land!

This work is yet another brainchild concocted between myself and Sketchfan after staying up too late with little to no sleep, and-

???: *Kicks door in* Nobody cares about that teme!

Kyugan: What the-what the hell're you doing here you-?!

???: Doke! *Shoves Kyugan out of his seat and grins at camera *Yosh! Let's get this started! Ikuze!

* * *

Chapter 1: Hibiki, Sanjou!

Within a distant, mostly unexplored section of space, there exists two worlds which could not have been more different from one another, save for their unbridled hatred and ignorance of one another's respective cultures.

One, known as Mejele, was a planet comprised entirely of women. They had vast resources, advanced technology, and had achieved a level of civilization that would have made them the envy of any other.

The other planet, known to it's residents as Tarak, was comprised entirely of men, and unlike Mejele, which was rich in natural resources, was a barren, desolate world with hardly water on it's arid surface, though it was rich in metal deposits. In addition, in comparison to the technologically advanced society of Mejele, the men of Tarak were drastically underdeveloped. They could barely amass the resources to construct spacecraft, and even those they managed to develop were considerably clunkier and slower in comparison to the elegant, streamlined craft that Mejele boasted.

This was made ever so apparent when Mejele raiders would pick off the supply and exploratory vessels from Tarak, which were sent out to search for materials in space from the asteroid fields. The faster, more agile Mejele fighters could run rings around their Tarak opposites. Furthermore, unlike the men, the women of Mejele outfitted their craft with advanced weaponry, including lasers, whereas the men where limited to mere ballistic missiles and high caliber bullets.

Things had gotten so bad that the military leaders of Tarak soon realized that, unless they thought of something soon, Tarak would soon run out of resources, and they would be completely at the mercy of their hated foes.

And so, despite the initial concerns of their great leader, Grand Pa, a motion was passed to address this growing threat.

*******

_Tarak capital..._

"MY COMRADES!" the bald Prime Minister of Tarak declared, standing tall behind a podium as his speech was broadcast across Tarak, be it visually or by radio transmission "MY BROTHERS! We now go into battle to prove the glorious manhood of the empire of Tarak! Our great forefather Grand Pa guided us here, but we will now leave this holy land that we have cultivated with our own hands, in order to regain the pride of men!" he clenched his fist before the cameras "For today, we have a new power in our possession," he punched said fist into the air "which will change our very HISTORY!"

While the masses of Tarak roared in approval of the bald man's words, one figure, considerably smaller than most, was not so enraptured by the speech, and was making his way as quietly, and as quickly as possible towards the spaceport, a bag of tools at his side.

'Why'd I have'ta open my big mouth?' the figure, a short teen in the garb of a third class citizen muttered, sighing in exasperation as he ducked out of sight of a nearby patrol 'Boasting I could steal a Vanguard…real smooth Hibiki…'

It had all started out as a childish boast, something Hibiki had said on the fly while off duty at the Vanguard construction plant. As third class citizens, Hibiki and the others employed at the factory never even got to see the fruits of their labors in action. The completed machines were shipped out the moment they were assembled, and the actual assembly lines were automated, even if the parts were mainly made by hand.

Naturally, this could be rather frustrating for a growing young man, who'd come to the city from the outside in search of work, friends, and a better life. He'd found the work alright, Third Class Citizens did EVERY menial task under the sun, from manual labor to janitorial duties, and he'd even found a group which he could tentatively call friends, when they weren't making cracks about his size or his temper.

But life as a third class citizen was hardly BETTER than the life he'd led on Gramps' farm, back before the old man had sent him to the city. At least on the farm his work had been appreciated.

Now here he was, planning to slip onto the newly refitted ship, the Ikazuchi according to the Prime Minister, which was sure to be filled with Elite and First class pricks and military types, in order to steal one of the very machines he'd helped construct and bring it back for all to see.

"I should've just kept my big mouth shut…" the teen sighed, even as the derogatory words of his 'friends' echoed in his ears, his eyes hardening as his resolve strengthened "Too late for regrets now…idiot or not I'm still a man…and Hibiki the man always keeps his word!"

Resolve reaffirmed, the teen resumed his trek across the rooftops towards the shuttle port, unaware that he was being followed, not by security thankfully, but by a strange, glowing orb that had been drifting past, only to be drawn in by his words.

'_**Huh…This kid seems interesting…'**_ the ball muttered, circling the teen, Hibiki continuing on his way heedless of his strange tag-along _**'Little on the short side…but I suppose I could do worse…'**_

Thus said, it rushed forwards, Hibiki letting out a grunt as it ploughed into his back, cursing as sand suddenly fell from his clothes, covering his feet as he stumbled.

A horned figure rose out of the sand, it's body seemingly ending from the waist down, though for some reason, it's legs formed above it, sand particles sliding off them as Hibiki shook himself. "_**Tell me y**__**our greatest desire…"**_ the sand figure intoned, it's voice deep and impressive as it crossed it's arms before it dramatically _**"Tell me, and I shall grant it for-!"**_

"Stupid sand!" Hibiki cursed, hopping along on one foot, unknowingly plowing through the sand figure, causing it to erupt into a cloud of sand with an irate squawk, before turning on his heel and running "Shit! I've gotta move it!"

"_**HEY!"**_ the sand creature yelled reforming with an irate glare as it watched the young Tarak teen run off, before giving chase "_**Oi! Get back here and tell me your wish, CHIBI!"**_

*******

_Inside the Ikazuchi..._

"Aw man…" Hibiki gasped, leaning against one of the numerous, identical doors that littered the interior of the Ikazuchi "this ships a lot bigger than I thought it'd be…"

That was an understatement, the Ikazuchi, originally the ship used by Grand Pa and the original eight to colonize Tarak, had been completely refitted as a military Flagship. There were so many corridors, hallways and staircases that Hibiki was surprised he hadn't bumped into any security, but it seemed everyone was too wrapped up in listening to the Prime Minister's speech on remaining 'constantly vigilant' to notice.

The irony of the situation would've made Hibiki laugh if he wasn't so out of breath. His heart had been hammering ever since he'd first managed to sneak on board, slipping past a guard who'd just been blinded by a sudden flurry of sand.

'Kinda weird…' Hibiki muttered, as he rifled through his bag as he stood in front of a palm print scanner 'Could've sworn I heard someone swear back there…' Shrugging to himself he pulled out a plastic, see-through glove, used for handling raw materials, and a spray adhesive that would detect any residual fingerprint data and copy them onto the glove's surface 'Ah well…good thing I did my homework…' he muttered, placing his palm against the scanner.

"_**Teme…" **_a low, voice growled, the sand figure rounding the corner, glaring at the teen in annoyance, only to be ignored as the scanner's rejection sent Hibiki into a panic _**"I finally found you…"**_

The figure had a good reason to be annoyed. It had been following Hibiki ever since he'd trampled through it, trying to catch the Tarak teen's attention, only for a random series of events to keep the teen from noticing it, be it gouts of steam disrupting it's form, a panel the teen had opened slamming shut in it's face as Hibiki passed through, or more recently, getting lost in the previously mentioned halls of the Ikazuchi.

"Oh man…this isn't happening…!" Hibiki panicked, too caught up in the scanner's countdown to notice his tagalong as he repeatedly slapped his palm against the scanner "I couldn't have screwed anything up! I did everything right this time!"

"_**I'M TALKING TO YOU TEME!"**_ the figure yelled, only to yelp, staggering into the wall and disintegrating into sand when the Ikazuchi rumbled, the ship preparing to take off a full two hours earlier than planned.

Hibiki, so frantic that he failed to heed the telltale rumble, pressed his palm against the scanner after blowing on it to remove any dirt, sighed in relief as the countdown halted, the doors sliding open to reveal the darkened vanguard storage hangar.

"Heh," the teen smirked, crossing his arms confidently as he eyed the rows of machines before him confidently, though a nervous sweat still adorned his brow "Not bad…that was a piece of cake!"

"_**I'll give you cake…" **_the sand figure muttered, it's body reforming as it slithered purposely towards the teen, fist rqaised while the other went through the motion of rolling up it's sleeves, only to pull up short, gaping at the hangar in surprise _**"What the hell're those?"**_

"Let's see…" Hibiki muttered, walking down the rows of machines with a concerned expression "Huh? It's not here? Don't tell me they didn't use the part because of the scratch…?"

"_**These things look pretty tough!" **_the figure muttered to itself, looking approvingly up at the vanguards, slithering along in Hibiki's wake, only to curse as it stumbled into the back of the teen's legs as Hibiki came to an abrupt halt _**"SUNNUVA-!"**_

"There you are, partner!" Hibiki cheered, grinning up at a particular Vanguard with the distinctive mark on it's codpiece section that designated it as his target "Man…you're looking pretty cool…"

"_**What's so cool about it?"**_ the sand figure muttered to itself, looking up at the Vanguard that, save for the scratch, was indistinguishable from it's brethren, only to sweatdrop as Hibiki leapt at the Vanguard like something out of a shoujo manga _**"Oi…what an id-is the floor shaking or is it just me-?!"**_

The figure's thoughts were cut off as Hibiki, offset by the sudden shifting of the Ikazuchi as it launched, landed ass first on top of it, causing it to explode into sand once again, the two of them cursing in sink, though for different reasons.

*******

_Ikazuchi, main hangar ceremony..._

"CHEERS!"

Duero McFile sighed, the longhaired elite looking on as his fellow men celebrated the successful launching of the Ikazuchi. As an Elite, Duero was no stranger to the propaganda and machinations of his fellows, and had been thoroughly bored as he was forced to stand through the Prime Minister's speech.

It wasn't like he, and everyone else on Tarak, hadn't heard the same thing, or something similar, before. Women were the enemy, every man and child under the unrelenting sun knew that, it didn't change the fact that they 2nd and third Generations knew next to nothing about their supposedly monstrous foes.

In truth, Duero had signed up for the Ikazuchi mainly because there was a chance he could get to see the enemy up close. While he hardly believed he'd be able to capture one single-handedly, he felt there was much more to their foes than the grotesque, dramatized images that the Department of Propaganda spewed out as religious doctrine.

"I assume you'll be assigned to Headquarters, right Duero?" one of his fellow elites asked, toasting the long haired man with a cone-shaped cup of champagne as Duero ignored the inquiry by staking a sip of his own.

"With a record like yours you could do whatever you want." Another elite pointed out, smirking with pride at the longhaired man, who thoughtit rather presumptuous of him to suggest such a thing. After all, even Elites had to follow orders.

"I hear he submitted his assignment request form completely blank." A third pointed out, earning looks of confusion from the others as Duero sighed.

It wasn't that he wasn't ambitious…he wouldn't be an 'Elite' if he lacked such a basic thing as ambition, it was simply that Duero didn't want to get stuck planet-side, which is exactly what would happen if they assigned him to HQ.

A career stuck behind a desk listening to the Top Brass spew propaganda and hatred, or a post on the frontlines, where the action was. It really wasn't that hard to choose from was it?

"Hey there!" a voice called out, the Elites turning to find a blonde, First Class recruit walking up to them, a box of food pellets in one hand and a salesman's smile plastered on his handsome face "Everyone having a good time?" He winked and held up the box "This is a sample of our companies new product! It's our own unique formula Special Nutrition Tablets."

He leant in conspiratorially, unnerving the elites somewhat "I probably shouldn't be telling you this but the quality of ingredients is far superior to other pellets." He stepped back with a smile, fishing one of the candy-cane-like pills out before offering the box to the Elites "But I'll let you have a free taste if you like!"

"Uh…no thanks…" one of Duero's comrades muttered, eyeing the blonde man with a look of discomforted embarrassment, the others making simmilar excuses while Duero looked on, intrigued with the display.

"Oh really?" the man sighed, shrugging offhandedly, as if it were their loss, "Too bad, you may never eat this good again…" his smile returned as he turned to face another group "Hey there! You look like gentlemen of distinction! What do you say? Care to try out this new pellet? I recommend it personally-!"

"Who is that guy?" one of Duero's group muttered, the trio of elites watching as the blonde man sauntered off to annoy the rest of the crew, trying to get them to taste his supposedly 'superior' food pellets, and failing admirably.

"His name is Bart." One of the other's supplied with an exasperated expression "His father owns Garsus foods." He grimaced at the blonde's antics "Let's just say his company's keeping us all fed and leave it at that…"

"Gentlemen!" a voice called out, the lights dimming even as the assembled troops looked up in confusion, Duero's frown deepening as the curtainspulled back to reveal a screen "Please direct you attention to the screen above."

'Oh brother…' Duero muttered, his features deadpan as yet another propaganda reel started playing, this time advertising the latest Tsukumo model Vanguards, the rest of the crew looking on in wonder as the machines advanced on their foes, taking direct missile fire without much duress, and carrying a vast assortment of weapons.

'Never mind the fact that the women rarely, if ever, resort to ballistics…' Duero muttered, shaking his head slightly in disgust 'Not to mention the fact that a machine that heavily customized would be a sitting duck for a smaller, faster opponent.'

"So…Dorky…" Bart muttered, his look of disgust at the unaesthetic design of the machines drowned out by the roars of approval from his fellows, though Duero, with his sharp hearing, caught it, and his opinion of the Son of Garsus foods went up a notch.

Of course, his disinterest soon turned to surprise as the curtain rose, revealing several of the machines standing ready, with a startled, third class citizen clinging to one for dear life.

*******

_Vanguard podium..._

'Crap in a hat!' Hibiki panicked, smiling uncertainly at the suddenly silent crowd, as the gathered Elite and First Class soldiers blinked up at him in surprise, to stunned by what they were seeing to react for a few seconds "Um…routine maintenance?"

"ARREST THAT BRAT!" the Prime Minister barked, the security team rushing in with riot sticks and scowls, Hibiki letting off a curse as he vaulted off one of their heads to clamber onto the bust of Grand Pa which stood in the hall.

"Leave me alone dammit!" he swore, kicking at the guards as they swung at him, using the advantage of height and their inability to strike at Grand Pa's image for fear of damaging it to his advantage "Get away from me!"

"Nice of them to provide us with entertainment…" one of Duero's group snickered, the rest of the soldiers cheering for the Third Class intruder, even as the Elite shook his head in exasperation.

"Go for it shorty!" Bart cheered, the blonde First Class soldier calling out to the teen with a taunting grin, Hibiki's hair spiking up as the teen leapt off the bust, planting his boot in a guard's face with a roar.

"WHO THE HELL CALLED ME SHORTY?!" he demanded, only to curse as he was tackled to the ground by the guards, scant inches from Bart, who backed off surprisingly quickly into the crowd, unnerved by the teen's temper "DAMMIT! LET GO OF ME YOU BASTARDS!"

"Take that brat to a cell and throw him in it!" the Prime Minister commanded, the bald, mustachioed Elite glaring down at scene from the monitor, a vein bulging on his brow "We'll have him executed for this later!"

"E-EXECUTED?!" Hibiki yelped, his features paling as his struggles resumed as he was hauled to his feet "DAMMIT! LEMME GO!"

The guards paid no heed to his struggles, frog-marching the teen towards the nearest door, paying no heed to sphere of light that suddenly swooped down and entered the teen's body, though their paused as he tensed, blinking at the piles of sand that fell out of his clothes.

"Hey!" one of them barked, shaking the suddenly limp teen roughly, scowling threateningly as he grabbed a lock of hair "On your feet you little-!"

His threat was abruptly cut off as he was flung, along with his fellow guards, in every direction away from the teen, the soldiers looking on in surprise at the sight of six full grown men being tossed aside by a kid, and an underdeveloped Third Class citizen at that.

Only Duero, who's one visible eye sharpened at the sight, seemed to notice the sudden change in the teen's hairstyle. It had become spikier, and a streak of red now ran through it as the teen straightened up, revealing eyes that glowed red above a confident smirk.

"Ore…" Hibiki called out, Duero's eyebrow quirking at the deeper, decidedly more confident tone that was issuing from the teen's mouth as he dusted off his hands, before moving into a stance, legs held wide and arms spread as if he were surfing "Sanjou!"

"You little punk!" one of the guards yelled, coming at the teen with a riot stick, intending to bash the third class citizen into submission, only to choke as he was punched in the gut, doubling over only to receive a knee to the face.

"Feh…you guys're pathetic…" Hibiki muttered, the red-eyed teen sneering down at the guard as he kicked him between the legs, bending down to pick up the riot stick "Seriously, is this the best you can do?"

"GET HIM!" the Prime Minister roared, a vein bulging dangerously on his forehead as the guards sirged forwards, Hibiki grinning ferally as he tapped his appropriated weapon against his shoulder, completely unintimidated.

"Think you can take me as a group eh?" the red-eyed teen sneered, scoffing disdainfully as he turned to face the group, stick over his shoulder "Sorry guys…but from start to finish, I'm at my CLIMAX! IKUZE!"

That said, he charged into the fray, the stunned Elites looking on in wonder as the bloody brawl kicked off.

*******

_Ikazuchi's Bridge, one hour later..._

"Captain on the bridge!" one of the officers on duty announced, the entire Bridge Crew saluting as the Prime Minister and his fellow Elites arrived, the balding leader scowling something fierce as his chair locked into place.

"That brat turned our ceremony into a shambles…" the man growled, supporting his cheek with his gloved palm as he glared out into space.

Not only had the Third Class brat DARED to mar the wondrous Ikazuchi with his unworthy presence, not ONLY had he dared to touch one of the new Vanguards reserved especially for the Prime Minister's chosen few, but he'd managed to fight off the entire security team in an hour long brawl, one that had injured SEVERAL of said chosen few in the process. In the end, they'd been forced to use stun guns to end the fight, and even then it had taken several shots to take the teen down.

What was worse, the entire event had been televised, which means everyone under the Tarak sun had witnessed a Third Class nobody mop the floor with several of the chosen Elite and First Class soldiers that the Prime Minister had praised not moments before.

"Sir, the escort ship Maboroshi is hailing us with questions regarding the exhibition match." One of the crew on the flight deck announced, trying to avoid meeting the bald man's eyes, which right now looked like they could give Mejele lasers a run for their money.

"The exhibition match is cancelled!" the Prime Minister snapped, the bald Elite glaring pointedly at the crew, who wisely averted their gaze as he waved a hand towards the viewscreen commandingly "Order all ships to move into position!"

"That Third Class brat…" he muttered, sinking back into his chair with a growl as his crew hurriedly to relay his instructions "he won't get away with ruining everything…"

*******

_Holding cell on the Ikazuchi..._

"Oooh…my head…" Hibiki whimpered, his eyes, now their normal black, flinching open, gritting his teeth at the pain running through his entire body "What hit me…?" he wondered, trying to sit up, only to blink as he realized he was wearing what appeared to be a straight jacket "Hey what the-?!"

"Awake are we?" a snide voice muttered, the teen looking up to find several guards glaring at him from the other side of energy bars. For some reason, they looked pretty beat up, one of them had a torn lip, the other a broken nose "You caused a lot of trouble you little pest."

"Who you calling little?!" Hibiki demanded, managing to get to his knees as he glared at the guards, only to blink as he took in his surroundings "Hey! What the hell do you think you're doing, tossing me in a damn storage room?! You could at least put me in a real cell!"

"Shut your hole brat." The one with the broken nose muttered, his tone somewhat muffled because of his injury "For your information, your highness, it might be used for storage but it's a real brig, so simmer down and await your execution like a good convict." He smirked at the paling teen "And I hope they make it as long and drawn out as possible."

"Hi-Type no.6!" the one with the torn lip called out, smirking as an egg-shaped automaton appeared from the side, coming to a halt as it hovered before the cell "Watch the little bastard. He tries anything funny, fry him."

"Beep. Roger." The machine acknowledged, turning to present it's screen, which looked like a touch pad, towards the cell, even as the guards walked off, leaving Hibiki alone with his injuries and this weird sensation in the back of his head, like someone was snoring.

"Why the hell do things like this always happen to me?" the teen muttered, shaking his head with a sigh, wondering if there was someone else in the the cell next to his, before looking up at his guard with a nervous smile "Hey partner, why don't you be a pal and lemme outta here?" he shuffled forwards on his hands and knees, making sure to stay well back from the bars "We were both born in a factory right? That sorta makes us brothers, right?"

"Beep." The machine contradicted, it's tone negatory as it continued to hover impassively before the energy bars, well out of reach "We are composed of completely different materials, therefore the term 'brothers' is incorrect."

"C'mon, I've got this great generator back home!" the teen pleaded, trying to win the outdated relic over with the prospect of an upgrade, something many a bot he'd worked on would kill for, and had "Let me outta here and I'll install it for free1"

"DENIED." The robot countered, an angry red X appearing on it's screen as Hibiki flinched "The subject is making an improper request. Instigation of attempted bribery and escape are crimes. Therefore…"

"Therefore?" Hibiki repeated, blinking in confusion as he looked at the egg-shaped sentinel in concern, wondering just what it was planning to do, even as two small prongs extended from it's body.

"Punishment." The sentinel finished, unleashing a blast of electricity that lit poor Hibiki up like a Christmas tree, sending him crashing face first into the floor.

However, rather than the subduing effect that the tool had been installed for, and the sentinel had been aiming for, the teen quickly leapt back onto his feet, his arms ripping trough the straightjacket as his eyes turned a sharp red, a streak of red running through his now spikier locks.

"THAT HURT TAMAGO-YARO!" Hibiki roared, the now red-eyed teen's deeper voice actually forcing the sentinel to stumble slightly in midair from the force of the yell "Who the hell do you think I am?!"

"Identity scan of subject commencing." The machine complied, it's screen shifting as it scanned the raging teen's biological data "Subject is human, organic body structure. Searching database…scan complete. You are-!"

Whatever the little bot had been about to say was cut short by a burst of static, followed by a muted explosion, the Ikazuchi shifting suddenly to the side, causing the poor robot to slam against the bars with a burst of electricity and drawn out cry of 'BEEP!'

"What the heck?!" Hibiki yelped, the red-eyed teen landing on his ass once more as he gaped at his surroundings, "what the hell's going on now?!"

*******

_Bridge of the Ikazuchi..._

"I GAVE THE ORDER TO STOP THE EXHIBITION!" the Prime Minister snapped, standing from his chair and glaring at the crew. First the trouble with the brat and now this? Was it so hard for the supposed Elite, the cream of Tarak's birthing factories, to follow such simple instructions?

"This isn't part of the exhibition!" one of the crewmen called out, even as they tried to get the ship under control, as several flashes of light flitted past the screens "It's the women! They're launching a surprise attack! Formation has been broken!"

"ALL SHIPS!" the Prime Minister snapped, waving his hand to the side as he glared at their hated enemies as the harpies closed in "GUARD THE IKAZUCHI!"

*******

_Tarak Space, debris cluster..._

As the men scrambled to move into a defensive formation around their newly refitted Flagship, a Mejele craft, smaller and decidedly more advanced, appeared from behind the rubble like a shark advancing on a wounded whale.

"Well captain…" a silver haired woman with dark skin noted, smiling smugly as she watched their fighters swarm over the ship like wasps "It looks like we caught ourselves a big one."

"Mhm…" an aged voice agreed, a woman wearing a cowl which gave the impression of cat ears smirking at the scene before her "Looks like it's our lucky day."

*******

_Holding Cell on the Ikazuchi..._

"Looks like this is my lucky day…" Hibiki muttered, the red-eyed teen smirking to himself as he pressed two wires he'd pulled from the fired robot into the locking mechanism of the cell, cutting off the power to the bars "Heh, no cell's strong enough to hold me!" he stuck his head out into the corridor "Yosh…time to get outta here…"

"B-beep…" the robot whined, Hibiki turning, narrowing his crimson eyes at the egg-shaped automaton in annoyance as it lay there, damaged and defenseless, it's systems completely shorted out by the collision with the bars.

"Feh…serves you right…" he muttered, though his features showed conflicting emotions as he looked from the deserted corridor to his onetime guard, clearly torn between making a break for it and saving the machine.

"Kuso…" he muttered, gripping his head for a few seconds, before grabbing the robot under his arm like a rugby ball and running off "You better not zap me again, ot I'll turn you into an omelet!"

"Hull breach in sector three!" a voice announced over the intercom, even as Hibiki tore down the trembling hallways "Electromagnetic doors activated! Intruder alert! All personnel proceed to the control center of the Ikazuchi!"

"What the hell's going on?!" Hibiki demanded, not honestly caring so long as he could get his, or rather, his hosts body out of here before the shit that had crashed into the fan could spray his way "Screw this! I can't let this kid die till he tells me his wish!"

He blinked, looking up at the sound of something crashing, only to curse as a section of the wall exploded, blinding him and sending him into blessed unconsciousness once more.

*******

_Bridge of the Ikazuchi..._

"Minister!" one of the Elite's aides cried out, looking on in alarm as the bald Elite readied the emergency lever that would separated the new additions to the Ikazuchi from the original ship "You mustn't do this!"

"We cannot afford to let the entire ship be captured by our enemies!" the Prime Minister countered, tears in his eyes as he prepared himself "I must at least save the new section of the Ikazuchi…and in order to keep everything from falling into female hands…I'll separate the old from the new!"

So saying, he pushed the emergency lever forward, causing the new additions to the old colony ship to separate, the smaller, streamlined craft drifting away from it's bulkier additions, even as the men still stranded in the newer sections cried out in alarm.

Unfortunately for the Prime Minister, he'd just made the women's task all the easier, as the pirates could care LESS about the clunky, outdated newer sections of the Men's Flagship.

No, it was the old colonization vessel that had been refitted that was their true prize.

*******

Ikazuchi, Paeksis Pragma corridor.

"Ow…" Hibiki groaned, his hair and eyes once again back to normal as he slowly regained consciousness "What happened?" he wondered, lifting a hand up to rub his face, blinking as he realized it was no longer restrained, only to pause as it bumped against something round, soft and decidedly squishy.

"What the heck?" he wondered, giving the strange mound an experimental squeeze, marveling at the feeling as it molded to his touch, only to look up at a soft moan from whatever it was attached to, his eyes bugging out at the sight of the alien mask of one of their hated foes as she lay on top of him. "HOLY SHIT!" he yelled, shoving the rousing creature off him, the female letting out a startled cry as he scrambled to his feet "MONSTER! HELP!"

"WAIT!" a voice called out, Hibiki turning round in surprise at the lack of hostility in the creatures tone, his eyes widening further as it reached up, removing the mask from her face, the entire upper section of her suit falling away to reveal a redhead young girl with bright blue eyes "WOW! It's a real alien!"

"A-Alien?" Hibiki stammered, the Tarak teen staring at the, admittedly less horifying than he'd expected, woman in confusion, wondering what on earth she was talking about. SHE was the alien here after all, this was a MAN'S ship!

"_**Oooooh…"**_ a voice groaned, the duo jumping, their eyes widening as they turned to gape at a pile of sand, from which formed the upper torso of a horned figure, which was holding it's head, it's legs hanging in mid-air above it's head _**"What happened? What hit me?"**_

"AGH!" Hibiki shrieked, the poor, Third Class Citizen backing away from animated sand figure in alarm, his eyes threatening to pop out of his skull as it turned to look at him "Another monster! A sand demon!"

"_**DEMON?!" **_the sand creature demanded, turning to glare at the teen angrily, shaking it's fists at Hibiki irately _**"I'm not an monster you freaking chibi! Is that the thanks In get for saving your life?!"**_

"Saved my life?" Hibiki repeated, the teen looking at the animated sand pile in confusion, and a little bit of apprehension, as demons were considered a tricky, coniving lot "What are you talking about?"

"_**Who d'ya think busted you outta that cell while you were taking a dirt nap?"**_ the creature demanded tersely, crossing it's arms with a huff _**"Mataku…what a troublesome contractor I've gotten mixed up with…"**_

"WOW!" the redhead cheered, the two of them jumping, having completely forgotten she was there, turning round to find her looking between them, her wide eyes glittering with excitement "Another alien!

"_**Alien?!"**_ the sand creature repeated, looking highly insulted as he rounded on the girl, shaking a fist "_**I'm no alien! I'm an Inmajin! In-ma-jin!"**_

The redhead apparently wasn't listening, as she seemingly ignored the figures outburst in favor of kneeling before them whilst making a weird series of hand gestures towards the pair, who blinked, and mimicked her gestures after a moment's hesitation.

"I did it! It worked!" the redhead cheered, clasping her hands together in glee as tears of joy formed in her eyes "I made first contact…"

'This woman's insane…' Hibiki and the Inmajin muttered, sweat dropping as she laughed to herself, before the Tarak teen decided to make a break for it, grabbing the robot along the way "LATER!"

"_**OI!"**_ the Inmajin yelled, turning around and racing after the teen, leaving a trail of sand and curses in it's wake as it shook it's fists in the air _**"Get back here runt! Don't leave me with this crazy dame!"**_

"Hey wait a second!" the redhead pleaded, struggling to free herself from the remains of her spacesuit as they raced off "I wanna take a picture!"

All the while, neither of them noticed the strange, glowing sphere that hung in the background, despite the fact it took up most of the room.

*******

_Old section of the Ikazuchi, Sub-bridge..._

"I don't believe it…" a breathy voice marveled as a trio of women moved into the old, darkened sub-bridge of the Ikazuchi, looking around in amazement at the condition it was in after all these years "Nothing's been touched here…"

"Then it appears what we found isn't the main bridge…" the silver haired woman from before muttered, walking past her crewmates as they struggled out of their suits. The women had already seized control over most of the ship, and were rounding up the remaining stragglers that had been left behind, having suffered minor casualties.

"Captain, this is Buzam." She declared, speaking into a communicator as she fired up one of the dusty, unused terminals "The men have escaped by splitting the ship into two, and we've gained access to some sort of sub-bridge."

"Oh my…" the breathy voiced woman exclaimed, looking on in concern as the Tarak-text scrolled up the screen, completely at a loss as to what it was saying "whatever shall we do? I can't read a word of this…"

"Just leave it to me!" a bespectacled young woman insisted, pulling out a weird device from inside her suit "I knew something like this would happen, so I brought along this Inter-pricko!" She smiled at Buzam "I'll set one up for you commander…"

"Meia…" Buzam called out over the radio, the silver haired second-in-command of the pirates' fingers flying across the keyboards as she read the men's language with apparently little difficulty "Give me a status report."

"The men have all been secured." The blue haired captain of the dread squadrons announced respectfully over the radio, looking on as she oversaw the evacuation of the survivors, who were being evacuated on the escape pods.

"No way…" the bespectacled young woman groaned, looking on in disappointment as Buzam gave the order to dump the hostages "You mean you can read this stuff?" she sighed as her comrade tried to console her "No fair…and I worked so hard on this…"

*******

_Hallway of the Ikazuchi..._

"Oh man what a day!" Hibiki gasped, the Tarak teen running for dear life as his pursuers called out for him to stop "the liver-eating woman was bad enough! No I got a sand devil following me around!"

"Mr. Alien!" the redheaded girl called out, smiling excitedly as she chased the teen with apparently little trouble, only her pausing to snap pictures keeping her from catching up "C'mon! Let's just sit down and have a little chat!"

"_**Get back here gaki!"**_ the Inmajin demanded, his feet racing frantically above his head as he tried to catch the teen, leaving a trail of sand in his wake _**"Just slow down and tell me your wish already!"**_

"Like hell!" Hibiki yelled back over his shoulder, cursing as his bag snagged on a nearby nail, ripping off his shoulders and crashing into the Inmajin, who sputtered incomprehensibly as he dissolved into sand "Don't you people ever give up?!"

"Mr. Alien! Why're you running away?!" the redhead demanded plaintively, even as she tried to snap pictures of the teen, the hallway, and anything else that caught her attention "We're really a peaceful race!"

"_**TEME!" **_the Inmajin roared, surging past the redhead with its hands outstretched, aiming for Hibiki's neck, or at the very least his waist, since that was as high as he could reach _**"GET BACK HERE ALREADY!"**_

"YOU'LL NEVER TAKE ME ALIVE!"

*******

_Ikazuchi Sub-Bridge..._

"Oh my…" the breathy voiced female gasped, looking on in concern as the long range scanners of the refurbished ship picked up the men's last ditch attempt to save face "There's a missile locked onto us!"

"What?!" Buzam demanded, the silver haired woman cursing as the proximity alarm sounded in confirmation to her colleagues report, rounding on the bespectacled woman "Parfet, is it possible to move the ship?"

"I'm afraid we can't…" Parfet countered, the bespectacled chief technician shrugging helplessly as she turned to look at the silver haired second-in-command, completely defeated by the men's cutting corners "the engine's dead."

"Damn!" Buzam cursed, though if she hadn't already known that it was simply because of negligence she'd have praised the men's forthought, before pulling the communicator up to her ear "Captain! What do we do?"

"I see it." the captain acknowledged over the radio, her tone grim as she watched the missiles draw ever closer to their target, the dreads already heading back "Losing the ship would be a shame…but let's get outta here!"

"Roger!" Buzam acknowledged, even as the other two made preparations to return to the ship, slipping back into their suits "Did you copy that, Meia?"

*******

_Dita's Dread, Paeksis Pragma corridor..._

"I've lost Dita." The dread captain reported in another section of the ship, her tone as grim as her expression "I'll rendezvous with the rest of you as soon as I've found her so go on ahead."

"_**GET BACK HERE!"**_ a voice roared, Meia and Jura, her second in command, blinking as they gaped over the guardrail, just in time to see a young man from Tarak being chased by their missing comrade…and what appeared to be a pile of sand.

"Dita?" Meia stammered, the blue haired commander of the Dread Squadrons blinking in confusion at the bizarre sight, even as Jura shook her head in disbelief, the beginnings of a headache coming on.

"Did you see that Meia?" the busty blonde pilot wondered, a confused expression on her face as she watched the scene below, wondering if the smell of Paiway's disinfectant was getting to her at last "is it just me or is that sand alive?"

"Dita!" Meia called out, leaping down and tackling her young subordinate, halting her from getting any closer to the man and the thing chasing him. Whatever it was, the man obviously didn't think it was friendly, which meant it wasn't under their control.

"M-Meia!" the redhead gasped, looking up at the blue haired young woman with a hint of concern, and rightfully so, for Meia was always getting on her case for goofing off, especially since she usually forgot what she was supposed to be doing when she did.

"Meia! Where are you?!" Buzam's voice demanded over the radio, the silver-haired second-in-command having already departed with the rest of the crew on the main ship, her features lined with concern as the missiles drew ever closer.

"All three accounted for!" Meia assured her, even as she, Jura and Dita raced towards their respective machines "We're leaving now on the dreads."

*******

_Vanguard Hangar..._

While the women were boarding their machines, Hibiki was still trying to lose his remaining pursuer, which was proving rather difficult.

"_**Dammit kid!" **_the Inmajin yelled as they rounded a corner, finally starting to catch up, since unlike Hibiki, it didn't run out of breath _**"We don't have time for this! Those dames are bugging outta here for a reason! We gotta make trails too!"**_

"What do you think I'm looking for?!" Hibiki demanded, the Tarak engineer racing round a sharp corner as he made his way back to the Vanguard storage hall "If you wanna escape, go ahead by yourself!"

"_**If anything happens to you it won't matter if I escape or not!" **_the Inmajin countered with a snap _**"If you die, I go too! So I gotta get you outta here!"**_

"Then quit trailing sand all over the place and hurry up!" Hibiki yelled, bursting into the hangar even as Meia, Jura and Dita were clambering into their respective Dreads "If we can just find that vanguard…"

"_**That ugly lookin' robot?" **_the Inmajin demanded, looking up at his contractor in confusion, and a little annoyance _**"How in the hell's that clunker gonna save us? It didn't do those other guys any good!"**_

"We can use it to get off the ship!" Hibiki countered, tucking the robot tighter under his arm as he glanced around the room "And besides! I can't just leave it! I swore I'd being it back with me! And a man always keeps his word!"

"_**A man's word huh?" **_the Inmajin muttered, looking up at the teen with a calculative expression, as if revising his oinion of Hibiki for thebetter _**"Heh, I like that gaki!"**_ he dusted off hia hands theatrically _**"Yosh! Let's find this thing!"**_

"Yeah! Hey I see it!" Hibiki cheered, the Third-Class teen grinning as he espied the vanguard, toppled over and the hatch already open, clearly knocked down while the pilot had been attempting to get in "Hey wait…there's only room for one!"

"_**Not a problem!" **_the Inmajin declared, turning into a ball of light and entering Hibiki's body, the teen jerking as his eyes flashed red and his hair acquired a red streak as he smirked confidently, going through a one armed version of his entrance pose, the egg-robot under his arm "Ore…Sanjou!"

"_Hey! What the hell?!"_ Hibiki yelled, the Tarak teen's voice echoing inside his own head as he watched his body moved on it's own, like he was playing one of those first-person holo-games he and the others enjoyed "_What the hell'd you do?!"_

"Oh calm down." The Inmajin muttered, snorting dismissively at the teen's discomfort as he leapt down the debris towards the vanguard at a breakneck pace "This way all three of us can get into the thing, no problem!"

"_Of course there's a problem!" _Hibiki raged, his anger and terror at being possessed making the inside of his head flash a dangerous red as he tried to regain control of his limbs "_Gimme back my body!"_

"IKUZE-IKUZE-IKUZE!" the Inmajin cried, apparently heedless of Hibiki's discomfort and attempts to regain control as he leapt across the debris, landing inside the Vanguards cockpit and shutting the hatch "Yosh!" he declared, grabbing the control sticks "Let's get this show on the road!"

He paused suddenly, his crimson eyes looking at the dark interior and controls before him in confusion "Uh brat…" he muttered, after a few tense seconds of awkward silence "you know how to fly this thing?"

"You mean you don't know?!" Hibiki demanded, the young man sounding highly panicked at this latest obstacle as the seconds to the missile's impact continued to count down "I don't know how to fly this thing!"

"EEEH?!" the Inmajin gaped, his crimson eyes widening hilariously with shock as he gripped the control sticks "You mean you snuck onto this ship to steal this thing and you don't even know how to turn it ON?!"

"_Oh like you're one to talk!"_ Hibiki countered, though in truth the Tarak Teen's voice was lined with unrestrained panic as they heard a countdown start up over the speakers _"Crap! Do something!"_

"I am doing something!" the Inmajin countered, pulling on levers and mashing buttons in an attempt to get the Vanguard moving, while over in her dread, Dita was panicking as she realized she was stuck "Move dammit! MOVE!"

Just as he spoke, the giant orb that dominated the center of the ship shone bright, a white light bathing everything in it's path, just as the Muramasa Missiles detonated.

*******

_Detached newer section of the Ikazuchi, bridge..._

"We're losing mass sir!" the bridge hand called out, watching with mixed emotions as the Muramasa missiles detonated, taking with them not only the female pirates, but a piece of Tarak's glorious history.

"I hope you women enjoyed the taste of defeat." The Prime Minister muttered bitterly, his features cold as he glared at the receding ball of fire and gas, which was slowly falling in on itself, like a black hole, before giving the order to contact the rest of the fleet to come and pick them up.

Not even out of Tarak orbit and already their precious Flagship was damaged and adrift. He could only pray that the suffering those pirates had gone through would be worth the reprimanding he was likely to receive from Grand Pa for his blunder in losing the old section of the Ikazuchi.

* * *

Momotaros: *C'mon, who hasn't guessed who it is by now?*Hey! What the heck?! What happens next Kyugan-Yaro?!

Kyugan: *Head smashed into computer* Don' w'rry, 'm fffine...

Momotaros: *Sweatdrops* Oog...this looks bad...

???: Sempai! You did it again!

???: Momohiji, you need to learn to control yourself!

???: Kirin-Kirin! Send in responses to see me in action!

Momotaros: GAKI! I'm the star here!

???: I agree, send in responses for me to educate the women of Mejele!

Momotaros: NOBODY'S INTERESTED IN YOUR SEX-CAPADES!

???: My strength shall make these harvesters cry!

Momotaros: Get out of it! *Tries to shove others out the door, before glaring at audience* Send in your support! I won't stand for such a weak Climax!


	12. Oberon

Yo peeps!

Yet another random idea that popped into my head due to lack of sleep and too much late night anime.

Enjoy!

* * *

Chapter 1: Hell of a day.

Hades…the Underworld…Hell.

No matter your faith or ideology, this is the last destination for those whose lives have been fraught with the suffering of others.

Well, not really, all that fire an brimstone is really just for show, a relic of a bygone era, back when the boss ran around dressed in a cheap tuxedo, poking people in the ass with his pitchfork.

Needless to say, Enma Daio had matured a little over the millennia, having the living crap beaten out of you by King Kai, not to mention almost being eaten alive by the Princess of Snake Way, will do that to a deity, and so the underworld underwent a little…restructuring.

The highest level, the one where the poor unfortunate souls of those damned for minor offences were sent, was little more than a hellish rest-centre, where the ogres kept an eye on the little vapor clouds until they either served their penance or reincarnated.

The Lower levels however, where the sadistic, mass-murdering sociopaths and ne'er-do-wells were sent, were picture perfect for the stereotypical 'hell hole', filled with pits of fire, towering mountains that tore the flesh, raging thunderstorms and not a hint of light in the darkest of hours.

Those consigned to THIS pit were those who, generally, made such colossal pests of themselves that it was downright retarded to let them run free topside, where they could stumble across the 'secret exit', which in reality simply lead back to Enma Daio's office.

Now normally, one would question having such an exit in the first place, especially considering that, to the denizens of the lower levels, the Oni left in charge of guarding it were hideously under qualified, but Enma Daio was firm, stating that accidents had happened before, and you didn't argue with the giant, bearded Deity with the fire breathing, laws of time-and-space deforming mahogany desk.

Getting back on track, here, in the literal belly of the underworld, the very worst of the worst are held in confinement until the end of days, squabbling amongst themselves in vain attempts at passing the time, or getting together in groups to plot ways of escape, none of which succeeded, partially due to their inability to go two seconds without stabbing the others in the back, and partially because Enma Daio had a man on the inside, so to speak.

* * *

_A deserted peak..._

Deep within the confines of the underworld, resting atop one of the tallest, storm wracked peaks, a lone figure sat in meditation, his long white cape fluttering behind him in the dry, static filled air.

At first glance, one might mistake him for a really tall man. After getting a second look, those that dared to brave the storm to do so would see that the 'man' was, in fact, green, dressed in a purple karate gi with red obi under a weighted mantle with massive shoulder pads and burnoose, a weighed turban adorning his head. His bare, muscular arms were adorned with pink patches of flesh, and if one looked closely, those who hadn't already been fried by the lightning that is, it was clear to see that his hands only possessed three fingers instead of the usual four.

The man's name was Piccolo, onetime scourge of the planet earth, or one of them anyways, as that particular name was rather popular in the northern region of space, and now live-in warden of the Underworld.

It was a completely voluntary position, in a manner of speaking, as Piccolo HAD been originally slated for heaven, being not only one of his adoptive planet's greatest heroes, despite a less than stellar start, but a former 'God' in his own right, though the technical term was 'Guardian', but far be it from the higher ups to meddle in the affairs of mortals.

The reason behind the Namekian's tenure within the infernal pits was a tale far too long to explain here, involving, for lack of a better word, a prison break, a ruse to lure earth's champion into the underworld, and Piccolo pretending to be his own father in order to provide a means for said champion to return to the land of the living.

Quite the saga, worthy of a rock ballad when you get down to it, but right now the only thing on Piccolo's mind was meditation, both to bolstering his ki reserves and to commune with Dende, his 'successor' back on earth, and generally making a pest of himself wherever the other denizens were concerned.

Cell, in particular, simply couldn't get over the fact that Piccolo, who he could once slap around with his pinkie, could now take him down without too much effort on the namekian's part. The composite bio-android just couldn't seem to click that, being dead, his power level wouldn't rise every time Piccolo cleaned his clock, as the DNA he'd 'inherited' from the Saiyans didn't work post-humusly.

The Bio-Roid was usually found in the company of Frieza, one-time gender-confusing terror of the universe, now simply second-banana to Cell and hating every minute of it. The two of them had come VERY close, in their own deluded minds, to finishing Goku off during his tenure here, being dead meant they could take a licking despite the Saiyan's power-up over the years, only for Goku to prove to be the monkey wrench, pun intended, in their plans once again.

Not that this kept them from trying mind you, oh no, the deluded duo usually made their bid to escape their imprisonment once every other week, usually corralling the former Tyrant's father and lackeys into tagging along, literally raising hell until Piccolo showed up to smack some sense out of them, before promptly returning to his meditation.

If he were any other man, the sheer monotony of it all would have driven the former 'demon king' insane. But Piccolo had never been one for socializing, preferring the solitudes of the wastelands or Kami's Lookout to enduring the slack-jawed stares of the mindless masses he was sworn to protect. So other than having to shield himself from the occasional lightning bolt, nothing entirely new actually, and swooping in to save the hapless Oni he was unofficially in charge of, Hell wasn't all that bad.

In retrospect, after that train of thought, the surly Namek really should have been expecting what was coming when the Oni in a white-collar shirt and tie clambered up to see him with an envelope in hand.

* * *

_Enma's office..._

"The HELL is this?" Piccolo demanded, the mighty Namekian once again standing before Enma Daio's admittedly impressive desk, a sheet of paper held out before him and a look of annoyance on his face.

"Exactly what it looks like." Enma replied, the massive, bearded Oni in a well-cut purple suit peering over the edge of his desk with a neutral expression "A Petition for reincarnation, signed and approved by yours truly."

"I didn't petition for anything." Piccolo countered, glaring up at the bearded deity, his look of annoyance seemingly permanently fixed to his face as the attendant Oni began to creep away from the likely battle zone "In fact, last I checked, those sentenced to hell don't GET a second chance."

"Not normally, no." Enma admitted, shaking his head, before patting a massive hand on a stack of files that occupied the 'out' tray on his desk, which was still nothing compared to his considerable 'in' tray, which was set on the floor to the side of his desk "However, in light of your prior action, and your recent achievements down below, I deemed in necessary to make an exception in this case."

"I didn't do all this for anyone's benefit." Piccolo countered, crossing his arms with a defiant snort, smirking cruelly "I just felt like getting even with those freaks down below for all the trouble they caused."

"I told you he'd be difficult." A voice chuckled, Piccolo turning to glare over his shoulder at an elder Namekian, though not nearly as old as Kami had been prior to their fusing, dressed in the simplistic, robe-like garments of their people with the kanji for 'Kami' over the front, though with a sleeveless brown jacket rather than the traditional blue cloak.

"Dende…" Piccolo muttered, his eyes narrowing in understanding as he eyed his 'replacement' and pseudo brother with a frown "Why am I not surprised to find you involved in this?"

"Because Nail knows me all too well." Dende replied with a smile, referring to the first Namek that Piccolo had fused with all those years ago to combat Frieza, for all the good it did.

"There is that…" Piccolo noted, a hint of amusement in his tone as he scoffed at the younger, in age if not appearance, Namek's gall "Still doesn't explain what you think you're up to."

"Simply giving you the chance you deserve." Dende countered, looking his fellow Namekian in the eye as he spoke "You gave your life to ensure the Black Star Dragon Balls never plague the universe again, and then your place in heaven to send Goku back to us."

"I did it because it HAD to be done." Piccolo countered, crossing his arms with a scowl that to many would be deemed threatening, but to those who knew him meant he didn't like the way the conversation was going "I made those choices of my own free will, I've got no regrets."

"Sure…" Dende muttered, quirking his eyebrow in a way that Piccolo suspected must have come with his position, the patented 'I'm God, don't try to bullshit me' look that Kami had used so well "Either way, it's already been decided."

"No it HASN'T." Piccolo countered, scowling at his successor defiantly as he crossed his arms before him, sending Dende's look right back at him, as if to remind the younger namekian that he TOO had been 'God' at one point "Last I checked, reincarnation is an optional fate, meaning it's down to ME, not Enma, and certainly not you."

"That's true…" Enma admitted, though Piccolo could swear the bearded deity's smile was decidedly more smug than it had right to be "In the case of those sent heavenward that is, those sent down below don't get a choice, if I say they reincarnate, they're outta here." He smirked "How do you think Uub came about?"

* * *

_With Piccolo..._

Piccolo cursed, having forgotten the reincarnated majin that had become Goku's student, having had little to no interaction with him while alive, since while the duo had trained at the lookout, he had opted to retreat to the wastelands and forests, his usual haunts, for a little peace and quiet.

After all, he couldn't very well meditate with all the noise those two were making, not to mention Kami's screeches of indignation as the Lookout was torn apart from within.

'In hindsight, destroying the door to the Hyperbolic Time Chamber WASN'T such a hot idea.' The Namekian warrior muttered, shaking his head with a frown 'Still, doesn't change my dilemma now does it?"

"I know this must come off as rather sudden Piccolo." Dende admitted, the younger, if not in appearance, Namekian's features kind, and his tone reassuring as he looked up at his late predecessor "But I'm not the only one who feels you deserve this chance, as the petition will show."

Piccolo frowned, one of the ridges over his eyes rising in a manner reminiscent of a quirked a eyebrow as one of Enma's white-collar lackeys shuffled forwards, a large, make that massive scroll tucked under one deceptively scrawny arm. Coming to a halt before the former Guardian, the Oni unfurled the scroll, letting it drop to the floor as he help it out to Piccolo to examine, the Namek's eyes widening as he espied the sheer multitude of names.

One name in particular stood out amongst the rest, a name that Piccolo hadn't heard in years, decades even judging by Dende's appearance, but which nonetheless held a particular spot in the Namek's no-longer beating heart.

"It was Gohan who contacted me regarding the petition in the first place." Dende admitted, the aged healer smiling at the memory of his young friend from Earth, who had passed away a long time ago "He thought it unfair that, after everything you went through, you had to suffer being grouped together with the likes of Frieza and Cell."

"Those losers aren't a threat to me anymore and he knows it." Piccolo countered with a snort, though he couldn't help the warm feeling his young friend's concern formed in his chest "What surprises me is how you got so many names."

"Well, all of the crew from earth signed up without question…" Dende admitted, only to wince slightly at Piccolo's quirked brow "Alright, Vegeta and Chichi took a while, but hey, I'm Kami, patience is a virtue."

"I'll bet…" Piccolo scoffed, smirking as he recalled the Prince of all Saiyans' stubborn streak. Vegeta and he had started out as bitter enemies, then uneasy allies, before finally developing a bond of camaraderie that all the Z-Warriors shared. It helped that, out of the entire group, they were the only ones that could stay serious for any length of time, though Vegeta's Saiyan battle lust vexed the Namek to no end. And that didn't even BEGIN to compare to the rocky relationship between him and Chichi, Goku's spouse, and mother of Gohan and Goten.

In Piccolo's opinion, which was secretly shared by most of the Z-Warriors, Son Chichi had been a loud, annoyingly overprotective woman that didn't know her own mind. She honestly had the GALL to place a higher value on such a redundant thing as homework when an alien menace was threatening to wipe out all life on the planet.

Of course, things had ALWAYS been strained between the two, as Chichi had never really forgiven the Namek for 'kidnapping' Gohan as a child and turning him, in her own words, into a 'no-good-delinquent'. Piccolo would normally ignore such a tirade, but Vegeta hadn't given the woman the moniker 'harpy' for nothing, a title that any Namek, with their advanced hearing, felt aptly justified.

"King Kai also had all of his former pupils on the Grand Kai's planet sign up." Dende revealed, gesturing to the additional names that made up the majority of the scroll with his staff "Pikkon, the champion from West quadrant signed up as well."

"I don't even KNOW these people…" Piccolo muttered, his brows twitching in exasperation as he eyed the sheer multitude of names in disbelief "I mean seriously, why would they even CARE that I'm down here?"

"You're one of them Piccolo." Dende shot back, the aged healer's smile patient, though his eyes bore a hint of hidden mischief that Piccolo would have missed were it not for Nail's memories "They can't wait for you to join them on the Grand Kai's plane, once your tenure is over."

"Good thing they're dead," Piccolo muttered, mentally forcing the scroll to roll up again, tossing it to the Oni with a snort "cause then they won't have to hold their breath, I'm not doing this, and even if I DID, don't they know how long a Namekian's average lifespan is?"

"Like you said…" Dende chuckled, the aged healer turned minor diety smirking back at his deceased counterpart with a smug little smile on his wrinkled face "They're dead, they've all the time in the world."

"Well I Certainly DON'T!" Enma roared, the massive deity slamming his hammer on the gavel as he glared down at the suddenly nervous Nameks. For as powerful as they were, it didn't change the fact he was a huge-ass demon with the power to make their lives, or afterlives, a living hell if he saw fit "Can you two wrap this up? I've got a busy schedule ahead of me and you're holding up the line!"

"S-Sorry Enma!" Dende offered, waving his hands before him apologetically whilst chuckling weakly, something that gave Piccolo a strange sense of Déjà vu from Kami's memories, before turning to face the taller Namekian with a sigh "Looks like this is it."

"You do realize that without ME down there, Cell and Frieza are sure to start something sooner or later." Piccolo muttered, eyeing the aged healer with his traditional angry poker face, deciding to pull out his trump card.

"No need to worry about that." Enma chuckled, the bearded Deity looking very pleased with himself as he stroked his beard "We've already looked into getting an replacement, hell he practically volunteered for the job."

"Who is it?" Piccolo wondered, cursing as his last-ditch attempt was shot to hell, literally, his eyes narrowing as a form appeared in the doorway, features hidden by the light, though he could make out a blue gi, white boots and a cape, his eyes widening as the light dimmed, revealing an all-to-familiar figure with giant ears, horns, a styled goatee and widow's peak, and glowing golden eyes "YOU!"

"Greetings, noble warrior." Dabura greeted, the King of all Demons offering a polite bow, his forehead devoid of Babidi's crest, and his trademark leer missing from his face, making him seem almost regal in appearance "It is honor to stand before you once again, I do so apologize for our…first impression."

"What in the hell is HE doing here?" Piccolo demanded, rounding on Dende and Enma whilst pointing at the Demon King, who showed no outward reaction to the Namek's finger in his face "Scratch that, why isn't he down there with the others?"

"Dabura was sent heavenward after losing to Buu back on earth." Dende explained, shrugging his shoulders at Piccolo's quirked brow "Enma Daio figured he'd enjoy himself too much down below."

* * *

_With Piccolo again..._

"So it's like the opposite of what happened to me." Piccolo muttered, the Namek shaking his head at the irony of it all as he eyed the late Demon King warily, looking the former Majin up and down with a critical stare.

He had to admit, as replacements went Dabura was probably the best man for the job, hell he was probably better suited than the Namek ever had been, he certainly dressed the part. Add to that, the number of people with the power to back up the rules and keep the inmates in line could be counted on one hand, and Piccolo would never agree to letting Gohan or one of Goku's other descendants take his place in hell, even for a short time.

He certainly couldn't see Vegeta agreeing taking up the position, hell he didn't WANT to think of what would happen if he locked the volatile Saiyan prince in Hell with Frieza and Cell.

In terms of power, Dabura was probably a little stronger than Cell, at least as far as the former Majin's fight with Gohan on Babidi's ship had gone, according to Vegeta anyways. He also had the advantage of that Demonic Saliva of his that turned his enemies to stone, so if push came to shove, Frieza and Cell could serve eternity as Pigeon roosts.

"Keep an eye out for Cell's tail." He warned the Demon King, looking the former Majin in the eyes as he spoke "If he gets you with that he can absorb your power, other than that, they're all yours."

"Many thanks," Dabura offered, the Demon King inclining his head towards the Namekian with a hand over his chest once again "I am glad to provide this service in light of past misdeeds, and hope you too can find the atonement you deserve in your next life."

"Uh right…" Piccolo muttered, a bead of sweat adorning the back of his head as one of his 'underlings' stepped forward to escort the new 'custodian' of Hell to his post, turning to look at Enma as they vanished "The hell did you people do to that guy?"

"Nothing at all." Enma countered, looking affronted "Dabura wasn't ENTIRELY evil when he reigned as king in his own dimension, truth be told he was mostly beneficent, albeit…darkly so. Babidi simply brought out the true evil of his demon nature, which made him all the more violent."

"I somehow DOUBT he was anything like what I just saw prior to that." Piccolo muttered, scowling as Enma averted his eyes pointedly, looking uncomfortable "Did you hit him on the head too hard with that hammer of yours?"

"Maybe a little…" Enma admitted, sounding like a child caught stealing from the cookie jar for a moment, before rounding on the Namek with a snarl "Enough about that! I don't answer to you and it's none of your damned business!"

"Two words…Double Mint." Piccolo muttered, waving a hand in front of his face with a grimace as the wind from the deity's roar blew his cape back, ignoring the seething bureaucrat in favor of looking at Dende, who seemed highly amused by the whole thing, not bothering to hide his shaking shoulders "You're sure there's no way to talk you two out of this?" he asked, his tone resigned, but determined to go down fighting nonetheless.

"Afraid not." Dende quipped, smiling up at the taller Namek as he shook his head, the amusement in his eyes clearly visible "It wont be so bad, you'll retain your memories of your past life, so it won't be a COMPLETE return…Also, since fusing with Kami and Nail, you'll be stronger than you were the first time round."

"Well that's a plus I suppose..." Piccolo muttered, the Namek crossing his arms with a grunt even as he sensed twin sighs of relief from his 'tenants' inside the recesses of his mind "So when exactly do I set out?"

"You already left." Dende returned, smiling at the look of confusion on the elder Namek's face, just before he vanished in a blur of motion "Popo was right, it IS fun to do that!"

* * *

_One magical journey through time and space later..._

Porlyusica sighed, the anti-social healer having just seen off her old acquaintance Markarov, and the poor, unfortunate little girl the perverted midget had brought to see her, having done what she could to restore the lass' right eye.

In the end, there wasn't much that COULD be done, healing wasn't the most precise of magics, and Porlyusica's relied heavily on herbs, potions, and the body's own natural fortitude, which fortunately the lass, Erza she believed her name was, had possessed in spades.

'Such a poor thing…' she sighed, recalling how only one of the girl's eyes had shed tears despite all her best efforts, only for Erza to bravely brush such concerns aside, thanking her for her help 'Markarov, you truly can't keep your nose out of other people's business…'

Shaking her head, the healer turned, preparing to head back to her home, which resided in the trunk of a living tree, when she paused, her brows knotting as she sensed something off to the side, something that hadn't been there earlier.

'What's this?' she wondered, stepping forwards cautiously, as despite loathing the company of humans, that didn't particularly mean she cared for a wild animal to break into her apple crates, particularly not the batch she'd just picked the other day 'An egg?'

It was indeed an egg, though not one from any species Porlyusica could recall, and she knew the denizens of her forest home better than anyone, save the trees themselves. It was large, about the size of a beach ball, the shell tinted a faint green in the light of the forest, resting as calm as could be amongst her apples, like it belonged there.

Porlyusica certainly didn't think so, and was reaching out to remove the oversized omelet in the making when it twitched, her eyes widening as cracks formed in the shell, stepping back to give the newly hatched creature room to finish it's escape from confinement.

She certainly wasn't expecting a green fist to punch through the shell, followed by another, the two working in tandem to tear the shell off and toss it to the side, revealing a bald, green skinned child, approximately three years old by the look of it, with antenna and pink, muscular patches adorning it's arms glaring at the world around it, gasping for breath and covered in green yolk.

"I'm going to fucking KILL Dende…" it growled, teeth clenched in irritation at whoever this 'Dende' person was, before collapsing forwards, it's strength apparently spent as it collapsed face first into her apple crates, spilling fruit everywhere.

Needless to say, Porlyusica felt the beginnings of a headache she normally only experienced when dealing with Markarov's latest act of stupidity building up behind her eyeballs.

* * *

And that'll do for now.

Basic premise, Piccolo is in Hell. Dende, and the rest of the universe, does not like this, so he petitions to have Big Green revived, in a manner that won't bring the be-damned Black Star Balls back with him.

And so reincarnation is the way of the day, fortunately he's still a Namek, unlike Buu, who became human.

For those of you who've failed to get the crossover, this is a cross with Fairy Tail. Some of you might have noticed the importance of the title, if so, give yourselves a cookie.

Ghost Nappa: And don't go wiki'ing it now! We're onto you!

Spoiler: This Fic contains early inclusion of everyone's favourite Fairy Girl! Wendy!

Other fairytail females: AHEM...

Kyugan: It was Nappas idea!

GN: Huh? *looks on in horror as the women round on him* Ah crap-!

Kyugan: *As screams of ghostly torment begin* Same sitch as with others, you like? Review! Get enough Reviews and this one becomes an actual fic!

Wendy: *Big puppy eyes* Please review!


	13. Saiyan Muyo

Asked a friend of mine to postthis, since I'm still technically under the weather.

* * *

Saiyan Muyo.

Raditz grimaced, the Saiyan staggering against a wall as he glared up into the bloody sky of his home planet, Vegetasei, grimacing at the barely visible speck that hung at the edge of sight.

Normally, Raditz wouldn't put much past something that could just as easily be an eye-floater, something that was QUITE common among Saiyans, as you didn't endure countless battles without SOMETHING jarring loose. But then NORMALLY Raditz wouldn't have just narrowly survived a fight with Frieza's elites, having been ambushed while off-world, only surviving because of the good fortune of the planet's moon rising while the idiots stood over his half-dead corpse.

Nothing like going 'ape shit' on a bunch of overconfident elites to make a low-class warrior feel all special inside.

As it was, Raditz had gleaned enough during his brief moments of consciousness during the beating to learn that his entire race was in danger of being wiped out by Frieza, despite generations of thankless servitude they'd provided the changeling with. Not only that, but it seemed the tyrant had his eye set on the Princes, Vegeta and Tarble, intending to make them his personal servants…in other words, little more than pets.

Not if Raditz had any say about it, which is why he currently had the second prince, Tarble, slung over his shoulder, having rescued the child from the group Frieza had sent in to capture him. The prince was looking a little roughed up, apparently Frieza had forgotten to inform his troops to 'handle with care', though Raditz suspected the lizard-faced freak had PURPOSELY ordered such treatment.

As it as Raditz was badly injured, his bones aching from planet fall and TWO fights with Frieza's lackeys, though admittedly the group sent after Tarble had been no better than a pack of unruly Saibamen, no brains and hardly any muscle, but then, as much as it shamed him to admit it, prince Tarble hardly merited the need for Elites.

Not that such thoughts served any relevant purpose. BOTH of them were likely to collapse at this rate, and seeing as how the majority of his fellows believed Raditz to be as high as a kite, or having suffered too many blows to the head, it wasn't likely he was going to convince any to get off world with them.

Admittedly, he COULD have marched in with Tarble's bloody body over his shoulder, but knowing his fellow Saiyans, they'd have jumped to the conclusion that HE'D attacked the prince, which would've been counterproductive to his plans for 'staying alive'.

'Pull it together…' he muttered, grimacing as he stepped forwards, ribs and body aching with each agonizing step, making sure to avoid jostling his precious cargo as he staggered towards the space port 'Pods…only chance…'

Fortunately for Raditz, as Saiyans were pretty much considered 'on-call' at all times for grunt work, there were several unattended Space Pods littering the launch pads of the space port, just WAITING to be sent off into the void of space.

Furthermore, it didn't require a rocket scientist to launch the blasted things. The entire process was almost completely automated, the onboard computer handling most of the work while the pilot sat back and caught up on their rest.

'Sorry for the rough treatment…' Raditz offered, tucking the unconscious form of Tarble into the first pod with unusual gentleness, for a Saiyan that is, the Low-Class Warrior ensuring that the second prince's life support systems were secure and functioning, before giving instructions to the onboard computer and shutting the hatch.

Clambering into his own pod, loosing a gasp of agony as the motion jarred his aching body, the Saiyan grit his teeth as the pod blasted through the stratosphere, the g-forces, normally bearable, make that laughable, forcing the injured Saiyan back against his chair, the oxygen mask he'd placed over his mouth obscuring his agonized grimace as he braced himself for the weightlessness of space.

Something exploded behind them, the shockwave crashing into the pods, sending them spiralling into the sea of stars, Raditz's cry of alarm cutting off as he blacked out.

* * *

_An eternity later..._

"He's coming around…" a nasal, disgustingly alien voice murmured, Raditz's eyes twitching, a scowl marring his features as he felt cool liquid wash over him "Good grief, do you think he has enough HAIR?"

"He's a SAIYAN." A snide voice muttered, Raditz's brows furrowing at the condescending tone his race was spoken with, making a note to throttle the prick for the affront "I'm more surprised he's ALIVE."

"I think he's waking up." Another voice, identical to the first, noted, the sound of tapping glass echoing in front of Raditz, who became dimly aware of a sensation of floating, as if her were submerged in water.

'Healing tank…' the Saiyan realized, his eyes creaking open, his features obscured by an oxygen mask as he glared out at the alien creatures that were pressing themselves against the view screen, his body tensing as he took in their apparel, that of Freiza's forces.

"Well now, awake are we?" a charismatic voice noted, Raditz's eyes narrowing as the gathered aliens stepped aside to reveal another figure, his image blurred by the darkness outside the tank "Raisin, let him out."

"At once…" one of the earlier voices conceded, Raditz's eyes narrowing as the green, healing liquid that was in fact artificial Saiyan DNA drained out of the tank, leaving him to drip dry as he pried off the oxygen mask and cables that had been attached to monitor his progress.

"Easy now," the charismatic voice chuckled, watching as Raditz stepped out of the tank, staggering slightly from a slight case of vertigo, a common aliment after an extended recovery period in the tanks "You're just up, give yourself time to get your bearings."

"Where the hell am I?" Raditz demanded, the Saiyan warrior heedless of his nudity, hell nudity was considered 'casual wear' on Vegetasei, as he glared at his surroundings, noting that he appeared to be on one of Frieza's Saucer ships, something that set him on edge.

"Whoa there…" the charismatic voice offered, a cloaked figure stepping out of the shadows, light glancing off a red Scouter lens "No need to bare your fangs pup…this isn't one of Frieza's ships, though it DOES belong to the Cold Dynasty…for now anyways."

"Who?" Raditz muttered, the Saiyan's dark eyes narrowing at the apparent leader as he stepped forwards, only to widen in shock as the cloaked figure's features came into view with startling clarity "Father?"

"Father?" the Bardock look-alike repeated, quirking one brow, the familiar features quirking into the typical Saiyan sneer "Ah, you must mean Bardock, well, I suppose there IS a familial resemblance…so you're HIS brat are you?"

"I am." Raditz muttered his eyes narrowing as he took in the smirking visage of the stranger, noticing several minute differences from his Sire. Facial features aside, this Saiyan's skin tone was dark grey, typical of those hailing from the northern wastes, as was his physique, which was more akin to Raditz's own than Bardock's, which had been slimmer, emphasizing balance over power.

Furthermore, the look-alike's armour was that of a FIRST class Saiyan Warrior, while Bardock, as efficient and deadly as he'd been, had been born in the lower Caste, much like Raditz himself.

"Well, as ironic as it would be to pretend otherwise, I'm afraid I'm NOT your father brat." The Saiyan snorted, crossing his arms beneath his cloak "The name is Turles, and I suppose you could say I'm your father's Elder brother."

Raditz would have scoffed at Turles words if he wasn't staring the validity of them, literally, in the face. Instead he turned his gaze towards the surrounding medical chamber, eyes alighting on a second tank humming away "The prince-!"

"Is fine." Turles assured his nephew, stepping forwards to stand before Tarble's healing tank with a strange smirk on his face "You did good work nephew, not only did you manage to survive Frieza's purging, but you also managed to ensure the Line of Vegetasei continues."

"Frieza…" Raditz muttered, the younger Saiyan's relief at the prince's well being giving away to anger and suspicion as he turned to his father's brother with a scowl "What of the heir? What of Vegetasei?"

"The heir is fine," Turles assured him, a wry smirk on his face "I believe he was off world at the time, on a mission from Frieza no less." He scowled, his tail lashing irritably "Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for our home."

"Then it's true…" Raditz muttered, his fists clenching as he recalled the bone-jarring explosion that had cast his pod into space "That bastard!" he swore, punching a nearby wall "We slaved away for him for generations…and this is how he repays us?"

"Calm yourself, Nephew." Turles ordered, his tone bemused as he continued to stare in on the slumbering Tarble "Let Frieza have his day…for now, we have things to do…" his lip curled as he sneered at his nephew "Starting with getting you outfitted…Cacao!"

"Da…" a mechanized voice acknowledged, Raditz turning to find a creature with a face like molten silly-putty in cybernetic silver armour standing off to the side, the corner of his lips rising as he snarled at it in disgust.

"Take my Nephew to the armoury and see about getting him some proper gear…" Turles ordered, nodding his head towards the mechanical monstrosity with a smirk in Raditz's general direction, before turning his attention to the prince's healing tank "We've got work to do."

Raditz, honestly torn between wanting to get FAR away from his uncle's smirking face, and his discomfort with leaving the older Saiyan with Prince Tarble, decided to put his thoughts on hold for now as he marched off after the mechanized minion, fully intending to return once he'd at least gotten something to wear.

After all, the Cold family saucer ships weren't exactly known for their warm, comfortable atmospheres.

* * *

And that's that.

Basic Premise: raditz helped Tarble escape from Vegetasei, scant seconds before Frieza turned it into his personal fireworks display.

Turles, who is Bardock's elder ELITE brother in this, picked them up, and brought them into his crew.

Raditz's relationship with Tarble will be simillar to the one Nappa has with Vegeta (That of a loyal guardsman and prince) though admittedly, Raditz will be a lot more loyal, less prone to anger.

As some might have garnered from the title, this is a cross between DBZ and Tenchi Muyo (The original, though Universe was good too, an elements of it may appear later) A popular crossover pairing, I think, but it's rarely approached nowadays for some reason or other.

The pairings however, I'm confident are entirely the result of my own devious mind, though I'd be glad to be proven wrong.

The opening 'saga' would predictably follow the Tree of Might, and work on from there *Since most of the DBZ movies occur outside canon timelines, they can instead be brought to Tenchi's doorstep*

Tenchi: HEY WAIT A MINIUTE!

For those who want to see the mandness unfold, send a review, and if you're lucky, this little piece of insanity might just become the greatest saga never told!

Bardock: Finally, my useless son gets his act together.

Raditz: F-!-ck you old man.

Adult!Washu: Now now my little sexmonkey, no swearing before the reviewers, or there'l be no 'tail-tag' tonight.

Raditz: *Grumbles*...damn tail-teasing...!

REVIEW!


	14. Rosario555

Hey there peeps, another demented brain fart on my part.

Here's hoping that you like it as much as the others, ne?

* * *

Rosario+555.

The day passed quickly, as other than homeroom, the other classes weren't officially set to start until the following morning, giving the Students time to get to know their way around the campus, meet new friends, hang out with old friends, and generally have a little fun before the real work started.

Tsukune and Moka spent the time wandering around, marveling at the sights and sounds of Youkai Gakuen, simply enjoying one another's company.

True, wherever they went, there was a veritable wall of pursuers, mostly male, though with the occasional female thrown into the mix, who's eyes burned equally with desire for Moka, and well as the desire to grind Tsukune down to his composite atoms and scatter him on the wind.

'Pretty much the usual story for a high-school drama,' Tsukune muttered, snorting wryly to himself as he tried to ignore the shivers racing down his spine, 'Except none of the movies Kyoko and I watched had MONSTERS in them.'

In some ways, it was hard to tell that Youkai Gakuen was an academy dedicated to teaching monsters, or rather, their children, how to blend in among average human society without drawing attention to themselves. One of the first things any student learned before enrolling was how to assume a human form, a skill which, according to the campus guide, was a perquisite for all applicants.

'Trust dad to not notice the 'True Form' and 'Human Form' spaces on the ID section.' The teen muttered, having learned, through discussions with Moka, that in order to enroll, a student must first prove they can assume human form, by sending a picture of their appearance, real and disguised, with their application. Sending in the 'True' Form pictures was considered optional, unless, of course, who were a member of an endangered species, in which case the Academy went out of it's way to facilitate you as best they could while remaining impartial.

Moka, as a vampire, apparently occupied the higher, if not the highest, rung on the monster social ladder, or 'pecking order' as Tsukune had treacherously referred to it as in his own head. This basically meant she was the equivalent of royalty, at the very least high nobility, which REALLY didn't do Tsukune's already strained nerves any favors, the teen already having visions of some cloaked figure with glowing red eyes descending on him in a carriage, fangs bared as he demanded repercussions for touching his daughter.

However, it was hard to think such morbid thoughts while in Moka's company for an extended period of time. The pinkette simply had a way of making your mind float on a cloud of air whenever she smiled at you.

'It's almost like we're on a date…' Tsukune sighed, literally walking on cloud nine as he followed Moka through the woods, the two of them having learned they were staying in the same dormitory building, though admittedly in separate rooms 'I'm so happy I could faint!'

"Look Tsukune!" the pinkette called out, turning round and waving at him from up ahead, a look of excitement in her eyes "According to the map, this is the dormitory we'll be living in!"

Tsukune turned, his heads filled with cotton-candy and sunshine, beaming up at the no-doubt wonderful palace that had Moka so enraptured just by the sight of it.

A tall, menacing structure loomed over him, no different from your everyday student apartment complex, save for the fact it had apparently been built in the middle of a cemetery.

'I could still faint…but not from HAPPINESS!' Tsukune shrieked, the fog of happiness dissolving before the horror before him, the teen somehow managing to reign in his terror to turn to Moka, who'd been gazing silently up at it the entire time "They…they can't really expect students to LIVE in something like THAT for the next three years…can they?"

"It's Heaven!" Moka sighed, her features flushed, hands clasped as she beamed up at the towering structure in delight "Have you ever seen a building with such personality?"

'Are we looking at the same dump?' Tsukune wondered, sweatdropping as the girl went on to describe the dorms as a Monster's Dream 'Well…I suppose it WOULD be…it just looks like a NIGHMARE to me.'

"By the way, what type of monster are you?" Moka chirped, Tsukune's heart actually stopping as she turned to smile inquisitively at him, only to start up again when she clapped her hand over her mouth "Oh, That's right! It's against the rules to tell! Sorry I asked!"

"Not a problem…" Tsukune stammered, rubbing the back of his head and chuckling weakly to cover his relief "But I gotta say Moka, you look Totally Human" Read: Gorgeous "from every angle! Are you sure you're a vampire?"

"Of course I am!" the pinkette insisted, smiling as she gestured to her neck "I may look like a human NOW, but when I take off this Rosario, I get REALLY Scary."

'Rosario?' Tsukune repeated, looking down at the little silver crucifix with a rosary bead embedded in the center, which hung around Moka's neck, attached to a leather choker.

"I don't like causing trouble anyways." Moka assured him, smiling gently "So I'm happy to wear the Rosario to keep my powers in check!" she leaned in close, causing Tsukune's eyes to widen "Of course, even with her powers locked up…a girl still needs BLOOD."

Tsukune's yelp of alarm echoed across the dormitory graveyard.

* * *

_Morning..._

'A new day…' Tsukune muttered, the teen sighing as he trudged towards the campus, his head lowered, and a sealed envelope, containing his letter of withdrawal to the headmaster, in hand 'and possibly my last…but can I bring myself to do it? I don't wanna be separated from Moka so soon…but if I stay here…?'

The Night in the dorms alone had been enough to give the teen night terrors, his advanced hearing allowing him to make out what the other occupants were doing in their rooms, which wasn't SO bad, except they obviously didn't need to keep up their facades in private, and the sound of their transformations canceling had NOT been pleasant.

Needless to say, Tsukune spent a sleepless night, waiting for them to catch his scent and break down the door.

"Yo." A voice called out, Tsukune snapping out of his daze just as Saizo's hand lashed out, grabbing him by the tie "Hold up there, lady killer." The bully greeted, his tone sickly sweet "I hear you and Moka spent a lot of time together yesterday…"

With that said his expression changed to one of anger, whipping round and slamming Tsukune against the campus wall "Just who do you think you are?" he snarled, glaring at the struggling teen "What's your true nature anyway?"

'If he finds out I'm a human…!' Tsukune stammered, his eyes widening in horror at the suddenly VERY real consequences, his mind reeling as he tried to think of something to say, only for Saizo to snort, dropping him to the ground with a sneer.

"Huh, not that it matters…" the bully muttered, sneering down at the smaller teen with a mocking expression "Don't let me catch you near Moka again…you even speak to her…"

He lashed out with his fist, which Tsukune noted was now several times larger and covered with bulging veins, punching a massive chunk out of the wall.

"And you're DUST." Saizo finished, sneering at the teen before turning on his heel and walking off, leaving Tsukune gaping after him in horror, surrounded by the debris.

* * *

_Later..._

'Alright THAT does it!' Tsukune muttered, the teen staggering under the combined weight of his possessions as he trudged out of the dorm, his eyes locked on the distant sight of the scarecrow that marked the bus stop 'I'm getting outta here! That guy took down a concrete wall like it nothing! I ain't sticking around for nobody!'

"Tsukune, is that you?" a voice called out, the teen freezing even as a pair of lithe arms wrapped around him from behind "Come on! We better hurry or we'll be late!"

"M-Moka-san!" the teen stammered, flushing at the contact, only to avert his eyes, his fear of Saizo, of the entire campus really, warring with his desire to be with the girl.

"Tsukune?" Moka wondered, the pinkette blinking at the teen's silence, her confusion growing as she noticed his bags "What's wrong? Why're you carrying your luggage?"

"I…I'm sorry, Moka-san…" Tsukune stammered, the teen averting his eyes, half afraid that Saizo was lurking in the shadows, waiting to pounce on him "I…I'm leaving, I'm going back to attend school in the human world."

"No!" Moka exclaimed, her features lined with horror as she grabbed his arm, pulling the teen back towards her "You can't go to a human school! I HATE humans!"

Tsukune gaped, his mind reeling from the girls words, having never dreamed, well, perhaps the occasional nightmare, that Moka, sweet, loveable Moka, would share the same mentality as someone like Saizo.

"I…went to Middle-School with Humans." Moka admitted, her eyes downcast, missing the look of surprise in Tsukune's eyes "It was so lonely…they'd laugh at me, saying 'Monsters don't exists except in stories!', until I began to feel it would be better if I really didn't exist." She gripped his arm tightly "I thought it would never be any different…" she looked up at him with a grateful smile "That is, until you told me you love Vampires. For the first time, I knew I wasn't really alone!"

Tsukune gaped, staring at the pinkette before him in shock. It was hard to believe, that someone like Moka, the envy and desire of her peers, would ever feel ostracized in human society. Then again, the girl WAS rather different, her hair for one, and Tsukune knew plenty of instances where naïve, overly friendly people were taken advantage of, he'd BEEN in that position quite a bit growing up, or HAD been, until the accident caused him to miss out two years of his life.

That being said, it didn't change the fact that Moka, with her own words, had admitted to sharing Saizo, and the rest of the academy's, viewpoint on humans. They were pests at worst, food at best, and she certainly had no qualms snacking on him when the need arose.

"So you CAN'T go Tsukune!" the pinkette insisted, unaware of the mental struggle going on inside her friend's head as she tried to make him see reason "I don't know what happened to make you think like this, but if we can work through it together-!"

"What if…" Tsukune asked, the teen's eyes hidden by his hair as he cut the startled pinkette off mid-sentence "What if I were one of those humans you hate?" he asked, his tone low and hesitant "Would you still stop me?" he grimaced at her silence, taking a deep breath and screwing his eyes shut "I…I'm a HUMAN Moka-san!" he admitted, letting it all out, along with his pent-up fear and frustration "I'm not like you, Moka-san! I got into this school by MISTAKE!"

"But…that's impossible…!" Moka stammered, her beautiful features paling slightly as she backed away from him, eyes wide with denial "The Barrier…No Human could possibly…!"

Tsukune looked up, only to flinch when Moka backed away from him, a look of fear and betrayal on her features that hurt him more than one of Saizo's blows ever would.

"So…" he muttered, lowering his eyes and turning on his heel "now that you know I'm human, THAT'S how you'd look at me." He picked up his luggage, struggling to keep himself from breaking out in tears "Looks like I was right…there's no place for me here…"

"W-Wait, Tsukune-san!" Moka called out, recovering from her shock, reaching out desperately to grab the teen by the shoulder "Is it really true? I didn't-!"

"Let me go!" Tsukune yelled, shrugging off her hand, turning round to face the pinkette, a look of hurt, anger and betrayal in his eyes that shocked the vampire to her core "You Hate Humans, remember? Well maybe 'I' don't like MONSTERS either!"

"Tsukune!" Moka cried, reaching desperately after the teen, though she made no move to follow, the teen half wishing she'd chase after him, regardless her reason, part of him wanting her to prove him wrong, to give chase, even if it meant becoming her dinner.

But she never did, no footsteps followed him up the forest path, no clawed hands pounced on him from behind, no pointed fangs reached hungrily for his veins, he simply ran, ran till his legs burned and his lungs screamed, ran till the blood pounded in his ears and his knees felt like they were about to fall off, ran until he was standing at the tunnel to the human world, the jack-o-lantern bus-stop creaking in the wind.

* * *

_At the stop..._

'It's better this way…' Tsukune panted, the teen setting his bags down, completely drained from the effort of running all the way here 'Now I can go back, back to my normal, everyday, BORING life…back to helping around the house, back to tutoring sessions in the safety of my own room…'

Back to being alone, a veritable hermit save for the occasional 'play-date' with his cousin, back to putting up with the suspicious glares and hurtful comments from the neighbors, back to having no real friends to call his own.

"Heh…I KNEW you'd run away…" a sinister voice chuckled, the teen snapping out of his daze, looking up in surprise to see the school bus parked in front of him, the creepy bus driver sitting behind the wheel, smoking his ever present cigar, a mocking expression in his glowing eyes "I could see it in your face."

'Wish I'd looked in a mirror then…' Tsukune muttered, though he DID frown slightly at the man's statement. He might be a coward for running away, though what sane man would STAY in a place like this was beyond him, but that didn't particularly mean he enjoyed being reminded about it.

"No regrets boy?" the man asked, turning his head to look at the teen, Tsukune shivering as those glowing orbs seemed to pierce through to his soul "If not, then climb aboard."

Tsukune swallowed, taking a step forward, only to pause, reaching into his pocket, pulling out the thin brown envelope that contained his letter of withdrawal. What with Saizo's ambush, and the encounter with Moka outside the dormitory, the teen had quite forgotten to submit it to the headmaster's office.

'Like I'm going back to hand it in NOW…' he muttered, eyeing the deceptively plain envelope with a grimace 'I'll ask the driver to do it later…he's probably on the faculty anyway, if he's the only bus they've got…'

_'For the first time, I knew I wasn't really alone…'_

Time passed, and still Tsukune couldn't tear his eyes away from the brown envelope, his eyes locked on his admittedly lack-luster handwriting, his entire body frozen in the act of stepping onto the bus.

'Is…is this…' he wondered, the fingers holding the envelope tightening, the paper crinkling at the bottom, even as he clenched his eyes shut 'what I really want?'

Several minutes later, the doors of the school bus closed with a hiss, the yellow vehicle driving off towards the tunnel, back to the human world.

There was nothing at the stop, save for the lone, Jack-O-Lantern that served at the signpost.

* * *

_Meanwhile..._

"It can't be true…" Moka murmured, the pinkette walking along miserably, kicking half-heartedly at a nearby pebble, watching it clatter ahead with her head bowed, a weak, self-mocking smile on her face as her green eyes shone, wet with tears.

After Tsukune's stunning revelation, Moka had simply stared after the teen in shock. Normally, she would've given chase, tried to reason with him, to explain herself, but Tsukune's last, parting words, throwing her own, misguided prejudice back in her face, had been like a slap to said features, or worse, a stake to the heart, it certainly FELT like something had pierced her when she saw the betrayal in the teen's features, the look of anger and fear, which hurt a lot more than the looks of scorn and mockery she'd gotten during her tenure in the human world ever had.

As it were, the Vampire was wandering aimlessly around the forest, partway between the bus stop and the dorms, part of her wanting to go after him, knowing there was still time, while another was to ashamed to show her face, knowing he'd probably just recoil from her, as she had from him.

"It isn't fair…" she stammered, tears falling freely from her eyes as she stared at the ground, lost in emotion "I finally make a friend…I finally think that I have a REAL friend for the first time since ever and-!"

"And what brings YOU all the way out here?" a voice asked, snapping Moka out of her daze, the vampire turning, only to cry out in alarm as a large hand grabbed her wrist, the pinkette's tear-reddened eyes widening at the sight of a smirking Saizo. "If you're lonely…" the pierced teen murmured, licking his lips as he leaned in close to the struggling young woman "I can take care of that!"

"No!" Moka exclaimed, struggling in the larger monster's grip, only to yelp as she was tossed, not TOO roughly, to the side, staggering against a tombstone for support.

"I'm serious…" Saizo insisted with a chuckle, reaching up and removing his blazer, tossing it to the side, even as he widened his stance "Your beauty is on a whole different level than the human girls I've played with…" he leered at her "I want you to be my Woman, Moka Akashiya!"

"S-Saizo?" Moka stammered, looking at the larger teen in alarm, and a little disgust, as his tongue extended past his mouth unnaturally, and his body seemed to contort, as if several hidden muscles were unfurling from within.

"Whoops…" the teen snickered, his tone making clear that, despite his words, he was DELIBERATELY transforming "when I get excited, my body starts to change. Then I can't stay in human form…" he laughed at the terrified girl "Kinda breaking school rules, I know, but let's make out!" he reached out with his tongue, dripping saliva all over the trembling girl "Wanna French-?"

He wa s cut off, his head snapping to the side as something slammed into it, Moka looking up in surprise to see a familiar luggage bag obscuring Saizo's face from view. "MOKA-SAN!" a voice called out, Moka's eyes widening, the pinkette turning in disbelief to see Tsukune running towards her, his backpack over his shoulder, his silver case held in the other a concerned expression on his face.

"Tsukune?" the confused vampire stammered, gaping at the teen in confusion, while Saizo howled, the monster having bitten through his tongue when the bag hit him "But why? Why did you come back?"

"Moka-san…" Tsukune stammered, bent over double, the teen's breath coming in ragged gasps as he looked up at the pinkette through his exhaustion "There's something…I need to tell you…"

"Then you'd better say it quick…" a voice growled, Tsukune's eyes widening as he noticed Saizo's hulking form for the first time, the monster's eyes glaring murderously at the teen as the luggage fell away "you made me bite my TONGUE brat!" he rushed the teen with a snarl "I'll MANGLE you!"

"Run Tsukune!" Moka exclaimed, reaching out to the teen desperately, knowing she'd never make it in time even as Saizo's hand lashed out, swatting the terrified teen out of the monster's path, sending him crashing into a cluster of tombstones, his belongings scattering everywhere "TSUKUNE!"

"What's the matter?" Saizo cackled, the monster leering at his downed opponent, even as Moka ran up to tend to the teen "Is that all you got, you little piece of trash?"

"Tsukune!" Moka exclaimed, kneeling next to the teen, looking on in horror as he lay amongst the destroyed grave markers, blood trailing from his head. 'He came back…for ME…' she realized, her shame only growing all the more, as all SHE had done was mope around after he'd run off.

"I'm so sorry…" she stammered, tears falling from her eyes as she lowered her head "I used to…used to WANT to believe that I could be friends with humans." She sniffled "But I'm a VAMPIRE…I suck the blood of humans…I HURT them." She peered into the teen's vacant eyes desperately "I wanted to believe that, with the right person, I could overcome that." She lowered her head in shame "But I guess it's impossible…I'd only end up hurting you, Tsukune…"

"It's…true…" Tsukune rattled, Moka's eyes widened, looking on in surprise as the teen gripped her shoulder, used it to pull himself up "I'm weak…ordinary…but I realized…I can't just run away…and leave you."

Moka blinked, looking on as Tsukune raised his head to smile at her "Moka…I want to be your friend." He smiled at the girl as she covered her mouth "Yes, You're a vampire…that doesn't mean I don't like you-!"

"You deaf?" Saizo snarled, lashing out with his foot, sending Tsukune sprawling across the clearing with a choke "I told you to stay away from her!"

"TSUKUNE!" Moka exclaimed, reaching out for him in shock, only for Saizo to grab her with one massive hand, lifting her off her feet as she struggled "No! Let me go!"

* * *

_off to the side..._

'Dammit…' Tsukune murmured, the teen lying where he'd fallen, his fingers digging into the dirt, his eyes half closed 'I guess this is what I get for getting involved in a fight between monsters…' he grimaced as he heard Moka scream 'Dammit…I gotta do something…' he grit out, his eyes landing on his discarded mobile, which had fallen out of his pocket 'Gotta…call for help…' he muttered, only to blink as he espied lying near the belt.

The Smart Brain case, which had been knocked flying with Saizo's first attack, had fallen open, scattering it's contents all over the floor. That wasn't what caught the teen's eye though, what Did catch his attention was the sight of a previously hidden compartment in the case, hidden behind a section of paneling, which must have come loose during the case's impromptu flight and crash.

Resting partially outside the case, glinting in the red light, was a silver belt with several slots and holsters for things to be plugged into place.

'What on earth?' he wondered, blinking at the sight, pushing himself up on his elbows to get a better look at the strange device, wondering what on earth it was for, only to pull back as a blue light shone from inside the case.

"Hi!" a voice chirped, Tsukune's eyes widening as he saw a small, hand-held PDA with a cracked screen lying nearby, the image of a cute woman in a blue and black outfit smiling at him on the jumping screen "This is Smart Lady! If you're reading this recording, you've probably encountered something beyond the scope of your normal abilities." The image clapped a hand over her cheeks dramatically "So Scary!"

'Outside my normal abilities…?' Tsukune repeated, sweatdropping as he heard Saizo's roaring voice in the background, the monster laughing his head off 'Oh yeah, most DEFINITELY.'

"Well don't worry!" the recording chirped, her tone so cheerful Tsukune swore he could feel cavities forming in his back teeth "Nee-san is here to help guide you through the instructions for the Patented Smart Brain Faiz Gear!"

"Faiz?" Tsukune repeated, blinking at the screen in confusion, having managed to get to his knees, marveling at how he no longer felt the pain of his injuries "What in the world?"

"HELP!" Moka called out, Tsukune whipping round to see Saizo holding the struggling girl up to his face with one hand, the other holding her chin as his tongue reached out to lick her face.

"MOKA-SAN!" Tsukune exclaimed, not even thinking as he reached down, grabbing the belt and PDA off the ground, slapping the former on with a clack "Dammit! What now?"

"Once you have the belt on, isn't it the cutest thing?" the Blue woman giggled "Now, simply dial in the activation code into the Patented Faiz Phone!"

"Activation code?" Tsukune repeated, blinking in confusion as he pulled out his phone, flipping it open, eyeing the numbers on the inside, noting that the one at the top, a circle divided by a diagonal slash, was highlighted "Yosh!"

Dialing in 5-5-5, Tsukune pressed the Enter key, almost dropping the phone with a yelp when it let out a mechanical cry of **"Standing by…"** and a warning siren, like something had been armed.

"What did I do?" the teen stammered, looking at the phone in alarm, before turning his attention to the damaged PDA once more "Hey! What now!" he demanded.

"Once you enter the code, the Henshin system is armed!" the woman chirped, her image distorting fitfully as the screen jumped "Now all you have to do is say Henshin and-!"

"And?" Tsukune pressed, looking at the screen desperately, only to recoil as the device sparked, the teen dropping it on the ground with a yelp, where it shattered against a stone.

"DAMN!" he swore, looking down at the destroyed device in alarm, looking at his phone fearfully for a moment, before glancing down at his belt, more specifically the empty slot on the buckle.

"What now?" he wondered, looking nervously between the belt, the wailing phone, and Saizo, his expression locking between fear and determination as he turned to face the monster, raising the phone above his head desperately "HENSHIN!"

"**COMPLETE!"** the buckle declared, Tsukune jolting in alarm as red neon lines formed over his body, his eyes widening as they converged in a flash of light.

* * *

_With Saizo..._

"Just hold still…" Saizo sneered, the monster leaning in, his tongue stroking the disgusted Moka's cheeks, heedless of her struggles, only to blink, letting out a roar of displeasure as a flash of light occurred off to the side "Dammit! What the hell was-!"

A fist to the jaw cut him off, Saizo's massive body sailing across the clearing, Moka letting out a yelp of alarm as she was suddenly released from Saizo's grip, the vampire bracing herself for the fall, only to blink as strong arms caught her bridal-style.

"Eh?" she stammered, blinking in surprise, looking around to see Saizo lying sprawled amidst a pile of shattered headstones, apparently down for the count.

"Moka-san." A voice called out, the pinkette turning to look up at her rescuer, only for her eyes to widen in surprise at the single glowing eye that looked back at her "Are you alright?"

"Tsu...Tsukune?" the vampire stammered, gaping at the figure in wonderment. It was certainly the teen's voice, but it was coming from behind a black and silver helmet with a stylized mouth guard, like an insect's mandible, which rested beneath a giant glowing yellow visor, divided into two semi-circles by a vertical strip of metal.

The rest of the teen's body was similarly attired in a black bodysuit that seemed to buff out his slim form. His torso and shoulders were covered with Silver armor, lined with crimson lines that reminded her, eerily, of blood vessels. Similar silver armor adorned his feet , knees, hands and lower arms, the rest left bare, giving the appearance of a lightly armored figure, designed more for speed.

"Thank god…" Tsukune sighed, the teen's voice laced with relief as he slumped slightly, Moka holding on to keep from falling "I thought…I thought' he'd…!"

"You…" Saizo ground out, the pair whipping round in time to see the monster slowly, but deliberately, climbing to his feet, gripping his jaw with one hand, a murderous look in his eyes as he turned to face them "Sucker punching little BITCH! I'LL KILL YOU!"

"Run, Moka-san!" Tsukune exclaimed, setting the startled girl down before pushing her to the side, bracing himself even as Saizo came in swinging, one massive hand lashing out to swat him off his feet, only for the teen to duck under it, lunging forwards even as Saizo blinked at the miss "HA!"

"GHUCH-K!" Saizo choked, the monster doubling over as Tsukune buried his fist in the monster's gut, spit flying from his lips from the force of the blow. He backed off, holding his abused abdomen, only for Tsukune to follow up the assault with a flurry of kicks to the head, Saizo's skull snapping from side to side like a punching ball as Tsukune wailed into the monster, screaming at the top of his lungs.

"TAKE THIS!" the teen yelled, spinning round and delivering a reverse snap kick to Saizo's face, sending the massive monster flying backwards, smashing through several trees before crashing into the ground headfirst, his limbs splayed and his tongue rolling out of his mouth.

* * *

_As the dust settles..._

"I…I did it…?" Tsukune gasped, the armoured teen sounding winded as he turned to gape at the downed form before him, half expecting Saizo to get back up with a roar "I…beat him?"

"Tsukune?" a concerned voice called out, the teen turning to see Moka looking at him with confused concern in her bright green eyes "Is…is it really you in there?"

"Moka-san…" Tsukune stammered, taking a step forward, only to pause, understanding dawning as he reached down, removing the phone from his belt, causing the transformation to cancel with a digital sound "Are you alright?"

"Tsukune-!" Moka exclaimed, her eyes wide with relief as she threw herself at the teen, sending the two of them to the ground , her arms around his neck "You're alright!"

"M-Moka-san!" Tsukune stammered, flushing brightly at the, not unwanted, contact, only to blink as the vampire pulled back, a relieved smile on her beautiful features.

"I want to be your friend too." Moka insisted, her green eyes shining with unshed tears, though tears of happiness rather than the ones of sadness that had fallen on him earlier "So don't leave…okay?"

Tsukune blinked, staring at the girl in wonderment, only for his gaze to soften, nodding his head in agreement as he smiled.

"Alright."

* * *

_On a cliff..._

"Heh…" the driver chuckled, smirking as he blew a smoke ring, standing on the lip of the cliff overlooking the campus grounds, his glowing eyespiercing through the evening light "You're a little too young for THIS place boy…though it looks like you can handle yourself just fine…" he tipped his hat respectfully as he snickered "Good luck to you now."

* * *

And there you have it.

Surprisingly, other than Naruto, there are QUITE a lot of crossovers between Kamen Rider and Rosario, though they usually involve replacing Tsukune with a Rider Character (Like Wataru or Tsukasa).

Mine, while not the first of this pair-up obviously, keeps Tsukune as the main lead, but makes things a little different.

For one, Tsukune will be an Orphenoch, but not KNOW he's one until the battle with Kuyo, and even then, he won't have a clue what's going on ^_^.

Second: Inner Moka will be making less appearances, but she still plays a relevant part to the story.

Third: Tsukune isn't a complete pushover this time round, since becoming an Orphenoch, and enduring the supposedly 'whispered' conversations of his neighbourhood, has toughened him up, mentally, if not physically.

Don't get me wrong, he's still Tsukune, so there WILL be freak out moments, but he handles scrutiny better.

in any case, Open your eyes for the Next Faiz!


	15. Lelouch of the Natural Twenty

Yet another random idea I came up with due to lack of sleep and too many late nights.

Enjoy.

* * *

Lelouch of the Natural Twenty.

It was just another day at the prestigious Ashford Academy, and the Student Council, naturally, were doing what they did best, namely mess around whilst making a half-hearted attempt to carry out their work, a task made all the more difficult by the inclusion of two Knights of the Round.

'Keep their identities a secret my ass...' Lelouch muttered, eyeing the lanky Knight of three and the deadpan Knight of Six in annoyance 'As if there isn't a dozen fan clubs to them in the homeland as it is, did they REALLY think they'd escape notice by enrolling here?'

More than likely they'd enrolled here to pester Suzaku Kururugi, the Knight of Seven, the ONLY knight that wasn't actually a Britannian, who was looking rather haggard as he tried to keep Rivalz from doing something foolish, like CHALLENGE Gino to a duel for Milly's honour.

'There are times when I REALLY regret my decision to pull Sayoko out of Ashford.' Lelouch muttered, the teen looking on in exasperation as his friend, Rivalz Cardemonde, berated the Knight of Three, Gino Weinberg for flirting with Milly Ashford yet again 'I'd rather be known as a philandering playboy than have to deal with this...'

While it was true he enjoyed being able to take a breather from his duties as leader of the Black Knights, it didn't change the fact that Ashford, what had once been considered a safe haven for him and Nunnally, had been infiltrated, literally and figuratively by the enemy.

True he'd managed to circumvent a lot of their control methods, thanks to getting Rolo on his side and blackmailing Villetta into keeping her trap shut, but that still didn't stop the bile from rising in his throat every time he laid eyes on the Knight of Seven.

Suzaku Kururugi had once been considered Lelouch's closest male friend, not even Rivalz came close to the bond the two had shared with one another, with only Milly Ashford ranking higher due to his knowing her since his days as a prince in the homeland.

However, in the wake of recovering his memories after the failed Black Rebellion, the treacherous Knight of Seven was now so high on the former prince's shit-list that only his father, Emperor Charles zi Britannia, surpassed the former Honorary Britannian.

'He used Nunnally as a means to trap me...' the elder Lamperouge muttered, sending a scowl Suzaku's way as the brunet finally got the situation under control 'He sold out his friends and country to serve his own means...he's no better than the emperor...'

"Lulu?" a voice called ut hesitantly, the elder teen shaking himself out of his thoughts with a jolt, turning to see Shirley Fenette looking at him, the orangette's ochre eyes lied with concern as she gave him a once over "Are you alright?

"Just a little tuckered out." The teen assured her, suppressing the pang in his heart as he recalled the pain he'd put her through, the memories that had been taken from her twice, once at his own hands, the other at his father's "I was up late last night organizing today's itinerary..." he shout a deadpan smile at the stacks of paperwork "Not that it did any good it would seem."

"Sorry Babout that Lelouch old bean..." Gino chuckled, the lanky Knight of Three smiling un-abashedly as he rubbed the back of his head with one hand "Got a little carried away there..." he looked around in confusion "By the way, where'd Milly go?"

"That's Madam President to you!" Rivalz snapped, the blue haired secretary glaring heatedly at the elder teen, not liking how familliar he was with his crush, only to look around, scratching his head in confusion "Though you have a point, where DID she go?"

"Don't tell me she skipped out while we weren't looking?" Shirley sighed, the orangette shaking her head and pouting even as Lelouch sighed in exasperation "Honestly, it's because of things like this that she flunked her exams last year."

"Was it from this mouth that such naughty things were said?" a familiar voice asked coyly, Shirley shrieking as someone groped her breasts from behind, the orangette leaping away, covering her assaulted parts, to reveal Milly Ashford standing behind her, a box tucked under her arm.

"M-Madam president!" the manhandled young woman exclaimed, her face flushing a deep red as she covered herself protatective, backing away from the Ashford heir even as Rivalz let out a cheer of joy at her return "I told you never to do that!"

"You shouldn't let your guard down then." Milly chirped, the older girl's tone laced with coy amusement as she watched the flustered teen huddle behind Lelouch, who didn't know whether to sigh or chuckle at their antics, in the end he settled for both.

"Really Milly..." the elder Lamperouge muttered, eyeing his eldest, most cherished friend with a wry smile even as Shirley continued to huddle behind him "Just where on Earth did you get off you? At this rate we're NEVER going to finish the paperwork."

"Oh I finished my share hours ago." Milly countered, waving a hand dismissively while the rest of the council, with the exception of Lelouch and Rivalz, gaped at her in astonishment "I stepped out to get some air and to see if there was something we could do to pass the time together."

"That's the Prez for you!" Rivalz exclaimed, the bluenet pumping his fist in excitement as he praised the object of his, sadly one-sided, affections, sticking his chest out, or he would if he had one, whilst rubbing the underside of his nose confidently "Always two steps ahead."

"You're something else Milly." Gino applauded, the Knight of Three ignoring, or perhaps not hearing Rivalz admonition of his use of the Ashford heir's first name so cavalierly, even as he peeked at the strange bx the young woman was carrying under her arm "Still, what's that you got under there?"

"Oh, just a little something I found to help alleviate the boredom in here." Milly replied cryptically, pulling the box out from under her arm and holding it up dramatically for the rest of the group to see the elaborate, if faded, cover art "Ta-dah!"

"Realm of Lorecraft?" Gino read, the Lanky Knight of the Round blinking in confusion as he eyed the cover of the box, which ne now realized was a boardgame, which depicted several figures battling something out of Lovecraft's worst nightmare "One of those old Board Games?"

"Isn't it cute?" Milly asked, looking pleased at their reaction as she patted the box down "I found it sitting among my Grandfather's things from the homeland, I figured since classes are finished for the day, and we had nothing better to do, we could give it a shot!"

"A BOARD GAME?" Lelouch asked, quirking an eyebrow at the elder teen in a manner that, to anyone who knew him remotely well, which included two people in the room actually, translated to 'have you been sniffing glue again?' or something along those lines "Really Milly, are you that bored?"

"What's the matter Lulu?" Milly teased, the elder teen returning the former prince's look with a coy smile that, to anyone that knew her remotely well, basically just Lelouch, could be substituted for ominous chuckling "Don't think you can handle it?"

"I'm not being goaded into this Milly." Lelouch countered, the elder Lamperouge's tone making it clear that there was no chance of changing his mind, that HE wore the pants here dammit, even if it DID come off as a little petulant "I've still got work to do."

'Like plotting how best to screw with Suzaku's head the next time we meet in the field.' He muttered, shooting the brunet, who was eyeing the board with interest, a sideways glare. 'Maybe I'll have Rolo sneak me into the Avalon and Geass Lord Asplund into putting a bomb in the Lancelot...'

"Spoilsport." Milly pouted, an expression that had absolutely no effect on Lelouch, who's sex drive had been culled harshly thanks to years of devoting himself entirely to catering to his handicapped younger sibling and plotting their revenge, though it DID succeed in turning Rivalz into a stammering puddle of drool and hormones "Anyone else care to try?"

"Why not?" Gino opined, the lanky Knight of the Round grinning cheerfully as he elbowed Suzaku to keep him protesting "Sounds like it might be fun, I heard these things were really popular back in the day." He turned to Suzaku and Anya "Whad'ya say guys? You in?"

"I don't know..." Suzaku muttered, lwincing as he rubbed his flank, ooking uncertain as he glanced from the stacks of paperwork still on the table to the clock perched on the wall "Lloyd wanted me back at the base to run some tests on the Lancelot, something about an upgrade."

"On second thoughts, I think I WILL join in." Lelouch opined suddenly, the elder Lamperouge turning quickly on his heel and walking back to the table, earning a look of surprise from the Knight of Seven and Shirley as he took his seat once more amongst the group.

"Oh?" Milly wondered, the elder teen's smile decidedly coy as she quirked an eyebrow at her childhood friend, knowing full well that it took a LOT to make Lelouch change his mind "Not that I'm not pleased, but what brought this about?"

"It's not like we haven't fallen behind before." Lelouch opined, bringing to mind the NUMEROUS all-nighters he and the council had pulled in the past, usually a result of Milly's actions or his own absence "And it's a good way to build teamwork."

'Plus the less time Suzaku spends with that crackpot the better.' He muttered to himself, eyeing the Knight of Seven out the corner of his eye, internally shivering at the memory of the Earl of Pudding. The Lancelot was already the bane of the Black Knight's Existence, HAD been since it was first deployed in the Shinjuku Ghetto a year ago, the last thing Lelouch needed was for the white Knightmare to become even MORE formidable.

"Great!" Milly exclaimed, the Ashford heir clapping her hands together, covering up the all-knowing look in her eyes by crossing to the table, box in hand. With a casual swipe of her hand, she brushed aside a towering stack of paperwork, one that had taken Lelouch hours to complete and stack perfectly to his standards, almost toppling it over were it not for Rolo's quick intervention.

"I got it big Brother!" the Geass Assassin turned unwitting pawn cried, lunging for the stack, grabbing it in both arms and staggering away from the table, feigning to struggle with the weight, despite the fact his deceptively small frame was capable of dealing with much worse.

'I wonder who'd win in a fight between him and Suzaku?' Lelouch wondered, the revolutionary idly glancing between the two even as he stepped forward to help his 'little brother', taking half the documents off him, setting them aside along with the rest of the council, who were already chattering animatedly, Gino and Shirley anyways, about the upcoming game 'On the one hand, his Geass gives him the advantage...on the other, the Geass command I placed on Suzaku is unpredictable...'

Not for the first time, Lelouch cursed his foolishness in refusing to use the power of Geass to bring Suzaku over to his side. Had he not been so headstrong, so determined to convince his friend through logic and debate, then maybe, just maybe, all this trouble could've been avoided.

'No time for regrets now...' he muttered, shaking his head with a sigh, turning back to the Student Council table, which had been swept relatively clean, thanks to an overeager Gino and Rivalz, leaving a sizeable space for them to work with 'All I can do is press forwards...'

* * *

_Several minutes later..._

"So how do these work again Prez?" Rivalz wondered, the bluenet looking up from staring at the dice that he'd been handed and the 'character sheet' on the table before him to link at the object of his one-sided affections in confusion.

"You roll the dice to decide your starting stats." Milly explained, looking over the Rulebook, which could put a law tome to shame, and was stylishly covered in faux-leather to give it that 'Dungeon Master' feel "Roll four six-sided die and remove the smallest number six times, then allocate the points accordingly."

"Sounds simple enough..." Suzaku opined, the Knight of Seven promptly picking up his own dice, giving them a vigorous shake before dropping the four Die on the table hopefully, only to sweat drop at the resulting number in trepidation "uh..."

"Relax Suzaku." Milly assured the Knight of Seven, her tone teasing, in a manner that only someone who'd actually READ the rulebook could accomplish "You can allocate the points into the category of your choice, so finish rolling to see what goes where."

"That's a relief..." Suzaku muttered, the Knight of the Round glaring defensively at Lelouch, who'd snorted in disbelief at his former friend's luck, and was rolling his eyes off to the side "What about YOU Lelouch? You finished picking your class yet?"

"Forgive me for not jumping into this half-cocked." Lelouch countered sarcastically, the former prince turned revolutionary shooting his FORMER friend, now not-so-secret enemy, a wry smile.

In truth, he'd already decided on his class some moments ago, though he HAD taken a little longer than the others in doing so. Right now he was simply drawing out putting pen to paper in order to get on the Knight of Seven's nerves.

"C'mon Lulu..." Shirley chided, the orangette nudging the elder Lamperouge under the table with her toe, pouting at him from across the table as she shuffled the sheets of paper that bore her character stats "everyone else has already picked theirs."

"Oh alright..." Lelouch sighed, the former prince turned revolutionary making a big show of reaching out and picking up his pen, taking his sweet time scribbling down the name of his chosen class, race, and alignment, before turning the resulting sheet over to Milly for her perusal.

"Huh, can't say I'm surprised..." the Ashford heir noted, looking highly amused at what she was seeing even as she eyed her childhood friend over the rim of his character sheet "You certainly semed to have everything all planned out as usual."

"It's all a matter of thinking ahead and balancing the cons." Lelouch countered, shrugging his shoulders offhandedly as he accepted the die from a mute Anya, suppressing the urge to shiver at the pinkette's emotionless stare, before looking back at the rulebook "Six times right?"

"Yep! Though you'll have to use a different die for your Hit Points." Milly reminded him, her tone teasing as she held up the Die in question, her smile widening teasingly as Lelouch scowled at it accusingly "Sorry Lulu, but them's the breaks."

"I DID read the manual, Milly." Lelouch reminded the busy blonde, his tone wry, even as he savoured the slight tick of Suzaku's brow, as he'd taken MUCH longer to read the thing than the others had, and made a great show of pretending to flip back and forth, as if cross-referencing the information within.

It was so amusing he'd done it several times before Milly had gotten wise and taken the book off him, though she hadn't spoiled his fun by revealing his little game to the rest, bless her mischievous heart.

Shaking his head, the elder Lamperouge gripped the four six sided die in his hand tightly, gave them a hearty shake, before casually dropping them on the table.

"Whew!" Gino whistled, the blonde looking impressed as he touched his forelock, or the area his forelock would be if he had one, in a mock salute "Not bad for your first toss, gonna put that one to good use I take it?"

"But of course." Lelouch agreed, his tone jovial, even as he noticed the slightly jealous expression on Suzaku's face, though it soon passed as he turned his attention back to choosing his equipment and rolling for his starting gold "Though you never know..." the revolutionary noted, his smile ominous as he scooped up the die once again "I may get something better."

* * *

_Several Dice Rolls later..._

"And...DONE!" Milly chirped, the busty Ashford heir looking up from making the finishing touches to her character sheet, a satisfied expression on her face as she nodded in satisfaction, before glancing around to see how the others were faring "Everyone done?"

"I still don't see how you did it." Gino muttered, the Knight of Three looking amazed, though not unduly so, as he smiled at Lelouch, as if trying to fathom some trick the elder Lamperouge had pulled in jest "ALL Sixes? How'd you do it man?"

"What can I say?" Lelouch shrugged, smiling roguishly at the taller teen as he sat back and admired his OWN stat sheet with a smile "Lady luck must be smiling on me."

Of course, it didn't hurt that Lelouch was a MASTER at sleight of hand, a little trick he'd been taught by one of his mother's guardsmen prior to her assassination. It was simply a little twist to the wrist, but it guaranteed that the Die always came up sixes.

'I wonder who he was?' Maianne's son wondered, his brows furrowing slightly, ignoring the suspicious look Suzaku kept sending his way as he stroked his chin 'I can't recall his face...though I DO recall him always smelling of oranges...'

Shrugging offhandedly, the former prince turned revolutionary turned his attention to more important matters, relatively speaking of course, namely the game at hand, which was just starting up.

Despite much ruminating over the subject, and honest interest in the inherent strengths and weaknesses, Lelouch had opted to assume the role of a Black Mage over the Red Mage, the reasons being that, while the latter's ability to wield swords and White Magic was appealing, it was limited to mid-level spells, and only had marginally better stats than other classes.

'Jack-of-all-Trades.' The revolutionary opined, recalling the author's description of the class, which had placed the Red Mage somewhere between the Warrior and Mage classes, whilst standing alone in its own right. That being said, Lelouch was never one to half-ass anything, not on purpose anyway, and so had decided, if he HAD to be a Magic User, he was going to go the full mile.

'Maybe CC was right...' he muttered, scowling as he rubbed his brow irritably 'Maybe I DO tend to take things a little too seriously...'

Shaking his head to clear it of such thoughts, making a note to speak to the immortal witch at some point in the near future, the former prince turned revolutionary glanced over the assortment of classes his fellow 'dungeon crawlers' had selected.

Rolo, much to Suzaku's discomfort and Lelouch's chagrin, had decided to play as an Assassin, and an ELVEN one at that. On the one hand, Lelouch could appreciate the irony of the choice the cherubic faced Geass Assassin had made, on the other hand it was taking everything he had not to strangle the little murderer, as the last thing he needed was Suzaku getting suspicious. More than he already was rather.

And speaking of the Knight of Seven, Suzaku, much to Lelouch's disgust and exasperation, had opted to play as a Paladin, meaning that any parties that they formed would be limited to those situated somewhere between Lawful Good and Neutral at the very worst.

'Just like him to go making choices that benefit no-one but himself...' Lelouch muttered, shooting the Knight of Seven a dark look that was marred by the smile that formed as he watched his former friend struggle to extract his fingers from Arthur's teeth, the tomcat having decided it was overdue for its favourite snack treats.

Ignoring the spectacle for now, though he mentally noted to buy the malignant moggy as much tuna as it could gorge itself on in the immediate future, Lelouch turned his attention to the other members of the party. Rivalz, surprisingly enough, had opted for a Half-Ork Barbarian, apparently wanting to live out his fantasies of being 'buff' through the game, no doubt another attempt to impress Milly.

'Poor deluded fool.' Lelouch chuckled, the former prince shaking his head in pity for his friend, knowing all too well that Milly simply didn't see the bluenet that way.

Naturally, as a Half-Orc, Rivalz's avatar wasn't the brightest tool in the shed, but he MORE than made up for it with his high Hit Point and Damage bonuses. Lelouch certainly didn't envy anything that found itself on the receiving end of the Half-Orc's axe.

Shirley, surprisingly enough, had opted to take the roll of the team's Cleric, which contrary to Lelouch's original assumption, wasn't the stereotypical 'fragile healer' he'd initially expected. You certainly wouldn't call anyone who could carried a massive war hammer 'fragile' by any stretch of the imagination, even IF she'd chosen to play as a Half-Elf.

Gino had, in a surprising show of ingenuity, opted to assume the role of a Dragoon, a lightly armoured Knight that possessed formidable skills with pole-arms of all sorts.

'I suppose it makes sense.' The revolutionary deadpanned, recalling the blonde's battles, and his variable Knightmare Frame, the Tristan, with less than fond memories 'Least he's straightforward.'

Anya, unsurprisingly really, had opted for one of the more...unique classes, becoming a Gunner, and as such, the party's default ranged attacker, though it had taken her almost as long as Lelouch to come to a decision, mainly because the gunner's starting weapon selections were 'too small' for her liking.

'What was she expecting? Hadron Cannons?' the former prince wondered, shaking his head in exasperation, looking up at the pinkette briefly, only to shiver and avert his eyes in the face of her opaque stare.

Even C.C was more emotional than the Knight of Six, and considering the immortal witch had CENTURIES to develop her poker face, that really should explain just how unnerving it was to look Anya in the eye for more than a second.

Deciding to ignore the petite Knight of Six, who was snapping screenshots of the board and her character sheet for 'memories', Lelouch turned his attention to the last member of their little 'party' namely Milly herself, who for reasons beyond his comprehension, had opted to assume the role of a Red Mage, a decision Lelouch supported wholeheartedly, as it would bring another magic user to the party, balancing them out both offensively and defensively.

Not only that, but thanks to the Red Mage's position as a 'middleman' of sorts, Milly could compensate for her less developed range of spells by being capable of equipping heavier armour than a traditional mage, and weren't limited to staves, as evidenced by the sabre Milly had selected as her primary weapon, meaning she could function just as well as a spell-caster as a meat-shield.

'I'm really getting into the swing of things...' Lelouch chuckled, shaking his head at the term, a little unnerved at how easily it had popped into his head, even as Milly finished setting out the little plastic figures that would represent them 'What the hell is with the hat?' he wondered, sweat dropping at the sight of the little figure in its concealing roes, it's features hidden by the oversized rim of its hat, though Lelouch SWORE he saw two little yellow dots of paint in there somewhere.

"Alright, is everybody done with their checks?" Milly asked, looking over the party, noting with amusement that some were eyeing Lelouch pointedly, before picking up her own figure, red save for the little white feather sticking out of its floppy hat "Alright, before we begin, shall we be playing as a single party or individually?"

"Suzaku's a Paladin, so he can't partner with anyone who isn't at LEAST 'Neutral Good'." Anya pointed out, her monotone voice startling some of the others, most notably Lelouch, who once again suppressed a shiver at her opaque stare.

"Guess that means Lelouch, Rolo, and Rivalz are out." Gino noted, the lanky Knight of Three smiling apologetically at the trio, ignoring Rivalz chastising for his use of the Ashford heir's first name, as their classes were 'Chaotic' Neutrals by default "Sorry chaps."

"You'll have to count ME out too." Milly pointed out, waving her own character sheet, which depicted her as a 'neutral' character, neither good nor evil, but capable f siding with either depending on her whim "Looks like it's four on four."

"Aw..." Shirley pouted, the orangette cleric-tobe looking upset at the revelation even as she glanced at her character sheet, which depicted her character as 'Lawful' Good, a standard setting for a cleric "I wanted us to all play together."

"If Suzaku's character dies we can team up." Lelouch reminded the girl, earning a flinch and a sharp look from the Knight of Seven, which he pointedly pretended to ignore, whilst smirking internally "Though it beg's the question, what exactly is the goal of the game?"

"Well..." Milly opined, the Ashford heir putting a finger to her lip as she thought, sending Rivalz into a fit of rapture at how adorable she looked "Since we've two teams starting out..." she muttered "How about we just see who lasts longest?"

"First to fall loses?" Gino asked, the Knight of Three grinning approvingly at the Ashford heir as he winked suggestively "I like your style Milly." he applauded, holding up both hands to ward off a ragin Rivalz, more out of amusement than any concern for his health.

"The rules say we need to roll to decide where we start." Anya reminded them, the tacturn pinkette and pilot of the Mordred holding up the faux-leather bound tome in question in one hand, and a set of die in the other "D-20 dice, one roll."

"No hard feelings if we land on the same square Lelouch." Gino chuckled, the Knight of Three sending the elder Lamperouge a roguish smile even as he shook his own set of dice for good luck "Gotta side with Suzaku on this one."

"Wouldn't have it any other way." Lelouch assured him, internally wondering just how many firebolts it would take to roast a paladin in his own armour, even as the group proceeded to roll the die.

* * *

_Seconds later..._

Within a matter of minutes, everyone, with the exception of Lelouch had made their roll, the former prince marvelling at just how large the game board actually was as he eyed the seperated pieces that signified their characters in wonder.

Anya and Gino wound up together, as always, in a section of the board depicting mountains and valleys called 'Dragon Lands'. Shirley and Milly wound up rolling the same number as well, the two of them starting off in a forest area depicted as 'Elfwoods', much to Rivalz grief, as the Barbarian-to-be's roll had stranded him in the 'Savage Lands', little more than a stretch of green plains between a desert, known as 'The Wastes', where Rolo ended up, and swamp, known as 'The Cursed.' where Suzaku was stranded.

"Tough luck man." Gino chuckled, looking at his fellow Knight consolingly as the former honorary Britannian placed his figure on the patch of ominously purple forest, before turning to Lelouch "Better hope you land a partner there Lelouch, mages don't do solo very well."

"I'll keep that in mind..." Lelouch replied wryly, the not-so-secret revolutionary accepting the dice from Suzaku, a little TOO quickly to be deemed polite by any stance, ignoring the look the brunet gave him as he shook his fist briefly, before casually opening it, the Die clattering to the table, rolling a natural twenty.

"How in the HELL do you keep doing that?" Gino marvelled, the Knight of Three looking more amused than upset at the revolutionary's streak of luck as he sat back in his chair, grinning all the whil even as Suzaku eyed his former friend suspiciously.

"Trade secret." Lelouch countered, smirking at the irritated look in Suzaku's eyes, the traitor got so competitive it was almost amusing, even as he picked up his character and set it on the board, in a spot marked as 'The Plains', only for his eyes to widen as the board began to glow the moment he released it.

'What the HELL?' he exclaimed, shielding his face with his arm, ignoring the cries of alarm from Shirley and Rivalz as he peered through narrowed eyes at the board, only for them to widen as he espied a familiar winged crest in the centre 'Thats-!'

He got no further, for at that moment, the light intensified, the entire room filling with crimson light, their cries of alarm cutting off mid-way. When the lights dimmed, and finally vanished, the Student Council room was left exactly the way it was, save for one major difference.

The players were gone, and a winged crest now hovered over the board, rotating ominously.

In two very different locations, a pair of gold and purple eyes snapped open, their respective owners tensing as they felt a disturbance in their power.

'Oh hell...'

* * *

And that's all for now.

Yes, this WAS inspired, loosely, by Chibi-Reaper's Towers and Titans, among other 'sucked into boardgame' fics.

For those wondering, the 'game' they were sucked into is something Reuben Ashford found among Marianne's things, which means both C.C and V.V will be making appearances in the near future.

Anyone that caught the reference to Sequential Art, give yourself a cookie.

If anyone has any complaints about the classes picked, feel free to send in your suggestions.

Yes, the group has been seperated, YES there is a purpose for doing this, and no, I don't intend to tell anymore.

And yes, this WILL be making references to other 'dungeon crawlers', as well as Monster Collection (The Manga, not the anime), Diablo, and possibly even Slayers.

If the no of revews for this get to at least ten, I'll consider making this a full fic, till then, you'll have to make do with the teaser.


	16. Sailor Moon GSL: Geass Speed Love

Yet another little brainstorm. I'm on a roll lately.

Enjoy or not it's up to you.

* * *

Death and Rebirth.

'It finally ends…'

Such were the thoughts of Lelouch vi Britannia, the young man who, through the culmination of blood, sweat, and copious amounts of tears, had managed to unite the word under a single banner.

Now admittedly, that sounds romantic, possibly even heroic, however, the truth of the matter is, sadly, much harsher than fiction would later make it out to believe, involving a tale of heartbreak, sorrow and loss, which was the result of one young man's quest to right the wrongs of his predecessors.

It seemed like an eternity ago that Lelouch, then under the guise of Lelouch Lamperouge, had encountered the apparently immortal woman known only as C.C, whom had bestowed upon him the cursed power of Geass, under the condition that, should he fully awaken to the power, he would use it to take her life.

Donning the mantle of Zero, Lelouch had set out to correct the wrongs that had been wrought in the name of his father, Charles zi Britannia, then Emperor of the Britannian Empire. He had amassed an army, made up of rebel factions from those nations that Britannia had ostracized, though the backbone had been the small, island Nation of Japan, where he and his blind, crippled sister Nunnally had been exiled and left for dead.

But of course, like all best laid plans, it was hardly going to be easy. Lelouch had no delusions, he never considered himself a 'hero'. He set Zero up as a symbol, a rallying point for those who would oppose his father, but all the while, his one TRUE objective was not the people, but the creation of a world where Nunnally, and those like her, could live in peace. To do that, any sacrifice was acceptable. Or so he'd thought.

Reality could be a cruel mistress, and more often than not, Lelouch found himself caught in her cruel clutches, either unable to make a decisive move, held back by his own emotions, or crushed beneath the weight of his crimes. Friends became enemies, trusted allies raised bloody daggers, the battle lines in the sand became so blurred that, for many, it soon became impossible to recall whose side they were truly on.

But at last, it was over, a lifetime of plotting, of sacrifice, culminating in one, no doubt epic climax that would have had Shakespeare weeping for joy had someone ever put it to paper.

He could hear it now, the shocked, intake of breath from the crowd, as the Demon Emperor, Lelouch vi Britannia, was silenced by the renegade Zero, who had miraculously returned from the grave to fulfill his promise of protecting the weak from tyranny. The irony of the situation, that he should be done in by his own alter-ego, was not lost on the soon to be departed Emperor, in fact, it brought a smile to his face as 'Zero', in actuality Suzaku Kururugi, stabbed him through the chest, Lelouch never raising a finger, accepting this assisted suicide openly, as penance for his crimes and to usher in a new age of peace.

Even as he fell, the Emperor's enigmatic smile never left his face, his fading purple eyes trailing on the captive members of the Black Knights, taking in their looks of confusion, and in Kallen's case, horror, though he could have sworn that, in some of the sharper ones, the light of understanding dawned.

'Which more than likely means that Tamaki's as clueless as ever…' the Emperor chuckled, recalling the mercurial redhead, who was just as quick to praise something as he was to condemn it, and vice-versa depending on the situation, with a hint of amusement, which faded as he felt a pair of gentle hands grip his own.

'Nunnally…' he deduced, unable to even move his head to look at his precious little sister, so weak was he from bloodloss. But then again, it was probably a fitting sendoff, after all, why should a demon be granted a last request, even if it were something as simple as a last glance at the sole light in his life?

"Big Brother!" Nunnally cried, her tear-stained voice like a choir of angels to the fading Emperor, cutting through his dulling senses to reach his very soul "I love you!"

Those words, five simple words that, to the dying Emperor, carried with them a greater power than if God himself had spoken them. His lips parted, drawing air into ruptured lungs, his elegant features stretching in a smile as he managed the strength to raise his head, his purple eyes smiling blindly upwards, her surprised, distraught features filling his vision, even as blackness creeped in from the edges.

"I know…" he whispered, smiling all the while, one bloodstained hand coming up to wipe away her tears, Nunnally's eyes widening in shock at this simple, loving gesture, even as the darkness swooped in, Lelouch falling into it's embrace without a struggle.

* * *

_..._

_It wasn't so much a life as an, existence, the feeling that you were, in some way, part of the big picture, not so much an individual entity, but a smaller part of some LARGER entity, one who's being encompassed more than one facet of reality._

_There was no self, there was not time, such things were inconsequential in the face of the grand scheme of things, Memories blurred, pasts were forgotten._

_Only the future remained in C's world._

...

* * *

_An Eternity within an instant..._

"Are you awake?" a voice called out, piercing through the darkness, echoing slightly, as if the speaker was calling out to him from the far end of a long, dark tunnel "Can you hear me?"

'Who?' Lelouch wondered, his eyes flinching as they slowly opened, the former emperor drawing in a sudden gasp of air, as lungs that hadn't worked for what felt like an eternity, which SHOULDN'T have worked again after Suzaku ran him through, expanded forcibly, taking in deep, ragged breaths of air that forced him to the floor once more, coughing his lungs out.

"Easy, Easy…" the voice offered, professional concern, like that of a doctor, emanating from it's tone, though whoever it was didn't step forward to help "Your body's only just recalling how to operate, I wouldn't make any sudden movements were I you."

"Who?" Lelouch gasped, grimacing at the cold feel of the ground before him, tilting his head slightly to get a better look at his surroundings, only to grimace as he recognized the spiraling pillar of humanity that composed the collective will of C's World.

He was standing in the very spot where he'd renounced his parents and their ideals, where he'd reaffirmed his vow to create a world without war, without conflict, even if it meant being known as a demon. Back then, he'd been straight-backed and proud, his voice commanding.

Now he lay on the floor before the will of C, naked, helpless, each breath sending spikes of agony through his bones.

'What…is this?' he wondered, his eyes wide, gripping his sides as he tried to make sense of this strange situation, his logical mind racing to comprehend what was going on, only to come up blank. Lelouch really couldn't blame it for failing, as he'd never imagined he'd encounter a scenario like this before. Death was supposed to be a one-time experience after all.

'Unless you possess the power of Code.' He recalled, grimacing as the memory of C.C appeared in his mind, the green haired, immortal witch's features showing her typical all-knowing smile 'But I never took C.C's code, and V.V's vanished with Father…CHARLES.' He corrected, refusing to acknowledge any relation to the man who'd abandoned Nunnally and himself 'Could my Geass have evolved post-mortem? But I thought Code could only be passed on from contractor to contractor?'

"Hmm, awake for two minutes and you're already showing signs of advanced mental activity." The voice noted, seemingly impressed by the teen's calm demeanor "You truly possess a fascinating mind, I wish I could have studied it."

"Who are you?" Lelouch called out, his tone much calmer, now that he'd had a moment to gather himself. It was unnerving really, thinking of himself as a single entity, after the alien peace that he'd experienced as part of the Collective Mind of C "What are you doing here?"

"Good, good, already asking questions." The voice acknowledged, laced with decided approval at his words "And it looks like your body's recovering faster than anticipated, ah to be young again." The voice chuckled at Lelouch's scowl "Now-now, no need to get angry, I'm merely glad that my attempts to revive you went off without a hitch."

"Revive me?" Lelouch repeated, the former emperor quirking a brow at the voice's words "Are you saying you've brought me back to life?"

"In a word? Yes." The voice admitted, his tone serious, though still laced with that undertone of bemusement as he smiled at the recovering teen "It wasn't easy, separating your consciousness from that of the Collective. One would think you didn't WANT to live."

"I have no regrets about my death." Lelouch shot back, the former emperor sitting up slowly, squatting on one knee in order to both get a better footing and cover his nudity from view, "I accomplished my goals, my life was but a small price to pay to achieve them."

"Admirable resolve." The voice applauded, and there WAS admiration there, albeit tinged with the thus-far ever present undertone of bemusement, as if the speaker were enjoying some private joke "I can see I chose wisely when I opted to revive you."

"I should assume then, that you didn't revive me out of the goodness of your heart." Lelouch noted sardonically, slowly getting to his feet, even as clothes formed over his naked form, more accurately, the clothes he'd worn when he'd faced down his father, the main body of his Zero uniform, sans the helmet and cape.

"Indeed." The voice noted, Lelouch's eyes narrowing as a figure stepped into view, dressed in what appeared to be a white lab coat over a shirt, tie and trousers. His face, however, was obscured by intense light, save for a pair of circular, reflective spectacles "I have a need of your services…Lelouch vi Britannia…" a smile formed in the light "Or do you prefer to be known as Zero?"

"Lelouch will do." The former emperor replied, his tone flat and to the point "Lelouch vi Britannia died at the hands of Zero, those names no longer apply to me."

"Lelouch it is then." The figure noted with a nod, his glasses flashing from the movement as he held a hand to his chest "As to who I am, for reasons I'm sure you can relate to, I cannot reveal my name." He offered a polite, curt bow "For the sake of convenience, you may call me T."

"Well then." Lelouch mused, smiling wryly as he gestured around him "I must say you are a credit to your profession, so few have ever gone so far to cheat death."

"I can be quite stubborn when I want to be." T replied, his tone amused as he pushed his glasses up with one gloved hand, his iridescent smile like a beacon "but enough about that." He uttered, the smile vanishing into the light as he stood straighter, clearly a sign he was about to get down to business "I went to great pains to revive you because I need your help."

"One would think that a man that can revive the dead would be beyond the need for 'help'." Lelouch opined, quirking a brow at the doctor, who shrugged.

"I am not without my limits." The specter admitted "One of which is that it took literally all the resources I have just to bring YOU back, I doubt I could do so again."

"So why pick ME?" Lelouch asked, quirking a brow "You addressed me by name, and also as Zero, this leads me to believe that you performed a background check on me."

"Of a sorts." T admitted with a wan smile "I must say, you certainly lived an interesting life for one who died so young. So much suffering, so much pain, and yet you managed to die with smile on your face…" here his tone took on a wistful hint "I suppose we have something in common there."

Lelouch quirked a brow at that, but before he could ask the figure to elaborate, T held up his hand for silence. "Tell me, Lelouch-kun." He asked, Lelouch blinking as he realized that the man, or whatever he was, must be Japanese to use such a suffix "Do you believe in the parallel world theory?"

"The hypothetical existence of multiple possible universes?" Lelouch wondered, quirking a brow as the specter nodded silently "I've heard the theory, though it falls short of credibility."

"Indeed, it's hard to prove something that cannot be witnessed by normal means." T acknowledged, his tone scholarly "Nevertheless, C's world is, in fact, an example of a parallel universe, one that encompasses the entirety of space, time, matter, and energy as well as the physical laws and constants that describe them."

"Are you trying to say that you're from a parallel world?" Lelouch asked, wondering just what kind of whack-job he was dealing with, though the fact he was alive did give the man's story credence.

"Indeed," T nodded, his features hidden by light "A universe where, believe it or not, the Britannian empire never existed." He smiled at Lelouch's look of shock "Or more accurately, was never FORMED, as the American Colonies proved successful in fending off the British, not to mention the United Kingdom wasn't lost to the Nazi's during World War 2, events which were paramount to the formation of the Britannian Empire."

"You've done your homework at least." Lelouch noted, internally thrown by the idea that his homeland never existed. True, the landmass was there, but without the Empire, how would life have differed? Would he even have been born?

"I want you to see something…" T instructed, his tone solemn as he reached into his coat, pulling out what looked like a remote control, of all things "This is the fate my world will suffer." He revealed, aiming the remote at a wall and pressing the button.

* * *

_Seconds later... _

Lelouch blinked, looking around in wonderment as the world of C vanished, replaced with a barren landscape, covered with ice and snow that glittered like diamonds. Overhead, stars shone brilliantly in the black canvas that was the night sky, obscured partially by the glowing lights of the aurora borealis.

"Nice view, isn't it?" T's voice called out, Lelouch looking up to see the figure standing off to the side, his back to the teen, hiding his features, though Lelouch could see he had white hair "Would you believe this was once the bustling center of Tokyo city?"

"THIS?" Lelouch repeated, looking around the wilderness in alarm, his eyes wide with disbelief. Now that he looked closer, however, he could see things that identified this place as a city, like a series of small hills that were actually frozen cars, or a mountain that was actually a collapsed, iced over skyscraper "What happened?"

"They called it the 'Big Freeze'." T admitted, the labcoat sporting specter standing with his back to the teen, hands in the pockets of his coat, as if to protect them from the chill "The second coming of the Ice Age, hypothesized by scientists for years."

"I find it hard to believe that human civilization could be reduced to THIS simply because of a change in the climate." Lelouch countered, his tone disbelieving as he eyed the barren, inhospitable wasteland that was supposedly the center of Tokyo.

"Our technology was not as advanced as your own world's, Lelouch-kun.' T countered, his tone solemn as he snorted disissively "We hadn't even discovered Sakuradite, and so the greatest form of energy we could produce was still nuclear in design."

"I see." Lelouch muttered, internally shocked by how…BACKWARDS, his strange benefactor's world seemed to be. Nuclear power hadn't been used in Britannia since the discovery of Sakuradite. Even third world countries didn't use the stuff anymore!

"From a population of 6.9 billion, the earth's population dropped to a mere million." T went on, further startling the teen, the doctor's shoulders tensing slightly "And it all could have been averted if mankind had been allowed to develop, unencumbered."

"I assume from your tone that there was some…Outside Interference, that prevented this from occurring?" Lelouch muttered, earning a nod from the silent doctor "Should I assume, therefore, that your reasons for reviving me are tied to these?"

"In a manner of speaking, yes." T admitted, recovering himself with a sigh, though he kept his back to the teen "My goal has two objectives: One, to ensure that mankind's technology advances to the stage it can survive this cataclysm."lik

"For which you require knowledge of Britannian technology." Lelouch deduced, the former emperor nodding his head in understanding "If that is the case, why pick me? You could have contacted anyone from my world." Like Rakshata and Lloyd Asplund to name a few.

"I couldn't risk the temporal imbalance of bringing a person from one world to another." T countered, his tone dismissive "Every living thing has their place in the world, a role to play, if you will. Dragging from their own world to another could have catastrophic results."

"So you chose someone whose 'role' had already ended." Lelouch deduced, seeing the logic in the man's tone "I suppose that makes sense, I have no ties to my old world anymore, so the odds of my existence unduly affect yours should be minimal at best."

"Indeed." T nodded, his tone laced with approval at the teen's insight, turning to face the teen, even as their surroundings shifted back to that of C's world, his features once again hidden from the teen as he held out an Attaché case "And I won't be sending you in blind, either."

Lelouch quirked a brow at this, stepping forward hesitantly to accept the case from the figure, popping it open only to blink as he realized the entire thing was actually a concealed laptop computer.

"I've compiled quite a lot of information regarding your world's technology," T admitted, sounding pleased with himself, "There's also a program that will allow you to effortlessly hack into local government computers without leaving a trace."

"You make it sound like I'm some sort of secret agent." Lelouch scoffed, though he had to admit, T was certainly thorough. He almost wished he'd had the man as a member of the Black Knights "And what of the outside interference?"

"They shouldn't be able to track you so long as you don't needlessly reveal yourself." T countered, and Lelouch detected a hint of humor their "Not that I need to tell YOU that, of course."

* * *

_Lelouch's POV..._

"Of course." Lelouch snorted, smirking wryly as he recalled how getting exposed had caused most of the problems in his life. From Shirley to Schneizel, every time someone learned who he was, it lead to trouble "You mentioned your plan came in two parts," he spoke up, snapping the attaché case closed "What's the second?"

T fell silent, and for a moment, Lelouch wondered if the man had heard him, only to notice that the man's shoulders were slumped, and he seemed older than before. "There is someone…" he murmured, the enigmatic doctor's voice lowering, laced with an undertone of sadness and regret "Someone I want you to protect, at all cost."

"From the outside forces?" Lelouch theorized, only to blink as the T shook his head, his shoulders trembling slightly "Some other party then?"

"Both, actually." T admitted, taking a breath to steady himself, Lelouch's eyes widening as he realized the man was starting to flicker, like a bad video image "Time is short, I can't explain too much, all I can say is that the tools you need are in that case."

"Wait!" Lelouch demanded, stepping forwards with a look of alarm "Why me?" he demanded, grasping the fading doctor by the shoulders "Why of all the souls in C's world, did you choose ME?"

"Because you know what it's like to walk in the shadows." T countered, and for a moment, Lelouch could see a tired, wrinkled face framed with circular glasses "You know what it means to make a deal with the devil for the sake of a loved one."

"T…" Lelouch wondered, looking at the older man in alarm, only to blink as something was snapped onto his wrist, looking down in distraction just as the Specter rammed his fist into his stomach, doubling him over, sending him toppling off the side of the walkway with a yell.

"I'm counting on you…" T called out, his voice wrapping around Lelouch as the light enveloped him, a strange buzzing noise filling the air "God Speed, Lelouch-kun!"

* * *

_Nighttime... _

"T!" Lelouch yelled, only to blink as he realized, one, he wasn't falling anymore, two, he was lying on what appeared to be a bench, and three, there was no one else around. "Where the hell?" he wondered, sitting up straight, the attaché case at his side, as he took in his surroundings, namely the empty city street, lit by a row of lights.

The bench he'd woken up on stood next to a bus stop, which was itself resting at the bottom of a massive flight of stone steps.

'It seems I'm in Area Eleven at least.' Lelouch deduced, glancing at the Kanji which adorned the side of the stop, 'Or Japan rather, there's no way the Empire exists if they're still allowing them to use Kanji instead of English…this must be T's world."

Having reached that conclusion, the former Emperor rose from his seat, wincing from the stiffness of his back, as he'd apparently been on the bench for some time before snapping to his senses. As he did, he noticed he was no-longer dressed in the remnants of his Zero uniform, but rather, in his old civilian clothes, black jeans, boots, a skin-tight, sleeveless shirt, and a thick brown denim jacket.

'He REALLY did his homework." Lelouch marveled, a little unnerved by how thoroughly the enigmatic doctor had researched him, even as he checked his clothes over for anything out of the ordinary. It was during his examinations that he espied the strange device clasped to his right wrist.

'A watch?' he wondered, only to dismiss this theory as there was no face, nor visible features for telling time 'Weird, it almost looks like something's supposed to attach onto it."

The rev of an engine drew his attention to an impressive looking motorcycle with side-car that was parked next to the bus stop, in clear violation of parking laws. Normally he wouldn't have given the machine an second look, however, the fact it bore the Black Knight's Crest on the gas tank caught his eyes, as did the letter taped to the handlebars.

'Dear Lelouch-kun.' He read, picking the letter up and glancing over it 'I figured you might like a little transportation while you're in my world. Consider this a birthday present of sorts. The instruction manual's included in the laptop. Best wishes, T.'

"The man has good taste." Lelouch snorted, crumpling the letter and tossing it effortlessly over his shoulder, where it landed in a trash can "Albeit a twisted sense of humor."

Shivering slightly from the breeze, the former Emperor turned, scooping up the attaché case from where it lay on the bench, setting it into the side-car before mounting his new ride, marveling at how futuristic the bike looked for a moment, before starting up the engine, smirking at the feel of power the machine gave off as he revved the throttle.

"Certainly a lot more impressive looking than Rivalz's." he chuckled, recalling how his old school-friend and constant contender for Milly Ashford's affection's machine would continuously break down at inopportune moments, such as the time they'd stalled when Kallen and her friend had crashed into a construction site.

Still chuckling at the memory, Lelouch pulled on the helmet that had been prepared for him, quirking a brow at how closely it resembled his Zero Helmet, before revving the engine and taking off, determined to find a place to stay for the night.

Unbeknownst to the reborn Emperor, a small, black and gold figure hovered behind him, buzzing mechanically as it easily kept pace with its designated partner.

* * *

For those of you wondering, yes, this is a Sailor Moon Crossover.

No, Lelouch isn't about to start running around in formal wear or a mini skirt, what do you take me for?

Anyone that can guess the OTHER crossover gets a cookie.

Again, at least 10 reviews needed for publishing.

enjoy!


	17. Herwald Von Einzbern & the Heaven's Feel

Another little brain fart that occured whie conversing with my good buddy, Sketchfan.

This one's a little long, but serves as a backstory to prior events, so run with it.

* * *

Heaven's Feel.

Herwald von Einzbern sighed as he woke, rubbing the strains of sunlight out of his eyes with a groggy hand, even as he reached for the glasses which adorned his bedside cabinet.

"Happy Birthday, Herwald-kun." A gentle voice called out, the dark haired boy looking up just as the door to the room opened, revealing a plum-haired teenager of Japanese descent, dressed in a pink sweater over a blouse and skirt "How's it feel to be Eleven?"

"Guten Morgen, Sakura-san." The bespectacled youth yawned, covering his mouth politely as he did so, wincing as the plum haired young oman stepped forward to open the curtains of his rooom, letting the morning sunlight in "Is sister awake?"

"Ilya-chan is with Fujimura-sensei right now." The plum haired girl replied, smiling cordially at the youth, even as the sounds of screams filled the air, only partially covered by the revving of a motorcycle engine "They're testing out her new scooter."

"Gott im Himmel…" Herwald muttered, suppressing the urge to groan as he palmed his face, swinging his feet out from under the thick duvet and into the slippers he placed carefully at his bedside, turning to fix the bed sheets while Sakura tided around the room.

At almost Eleven years old, standing just under four foot, and with a lean, wiry build, the young Einsbern was hardly what one would consider an impressive looking specimen of a magus, lacking the hereditary swarthy build of the Einzbern males, or the willow grace of their females, though the latter was generally mediated towards the Homunculi the family were famous for producing.

Then again, the boy really shouldn't have expected either, after all he was, as most of the family were so fond of reminding him, a 'stray' that had been dumped into their lap by his adoptive father, right before the man had gone off to get himself killed.

According to rumour, the man had found him abandoned on the street, and brought him in to be raised along with his own daughter, Illyasviel, who had turned eight that same year. Herwald had no recollection of the man, understandable really, he'd only been a year old when he'd been brought to the Ancestral Einzbern home in the dark forests of Germany, but the few, scattered memories he retained depicted a kind, if saddened face, framed by messy black hair, far worse than even his own, and a prevailing smell of cigarette smoke.

From what little he'd learned, thanks to overhearing the chatter of the less guarded family members, Kiritsugu had betrayed the Einsbern family and run off for fear of his life, an act which usually resulted in execution. This was compounded by the fact the man was NEVER spoken of publically, and that there were no images of him in the castle, save for a sole, family photograph of him that belonged to Illyasviel, which depicted Kiritsugu standing behind her mother, Irisviel, who was seated with an infant Illyasviel in her lap.

Herwald had a marginally better memory of Irisviel, mainly because, prior to her departure and death, he had spent many hours in her company, and there were still portraits of her in Illyasviel's room, despite strong sentiment that they be taken down from the rest of the family. Illyasviel had put her foot down on the matter, an action that was backed up by Grandfather Jubstacheit, the old man making it abundantly clear that NOTHING was to interfere with Illyasviel's development, and that failure to comply would result in banishment…or worse.

And so the motion was dropped, and the young Homunculus was allowed to do as she pleased, though this naturally meant that the resentful members were forced to find a new vent for their frustrations, and so they turned on Herwald.

Perhaps 'turned' is a bit unfair a term, as it wasn't as if the Einzbern's treated him poorly. As one of the premiere Magus families, they had a reputation to uphold, and blaming a child for the actions of his parent, his ADOPTIVE parent no less, was simply not something they were willing to waste time on, time that would be better spent trying to find ways to uncover Akasha, the Root of all things, which many a Magus aspired themselves to.

And so Herwald was tolerated, at best, by the majority of the family, at the very least they ignored him, or refused to offer him support with his studies, citing if he couldn't stand on his own two feet, he didn't deserve any support. The only exceptions to this rule were the Castle's Homunculi, all female, who doted on the boy to the point the considered him one of their own, Grandfather Jubstacheit, who apparently saw some potential in him that the others refused to acknowledge, at least enough to ensure that the boy's training as a Magus wasn't completely disregarded, and of course, his elder step-sibling, Illyasviel.

His earliest memories of the girl was of her staring down at him as he lay in the crib she herself had once occupied, her crimson eyes filled with wonder, a kind smile on her face as she reached down to touch him, only for him to seize her finger with his pudgy little hand. Even after her parents had died, leaving her alone in the cold mansion, surrounded by unsympathetic relatives, the little Homunculus went out of her way to interact with the boy, occasionally helping him with his studies, but generally seeking him out solely for his company. Herwald, in turn, did what he could for her, whether it simply involved brushing her luxurious white hair, playing with her in the garden, cuddling next to her at night whenever neither could stand to be alone, or comforting her whenever her temper would flare at the mention of her abandonment was brought up by some of the younger family members.

Word soon reached them that, prior to dying from whatever wounds had been inflicted upon him during the 4th Grail War, Kiritsugu had adopted a child, a survivor of the resulting disaster that had almost levelled the city where the Wars were established. While Herwald, who had been adopted himself, failed to see the problem with this, Illyasviel had been inconsolable for weeks at the news, believing her father had replaced her, and had barricaded herself in her chambers.

It had taken Herwald weeks of reaching out to her to get his sister to emerge, but when she did she was no longer the innocent snow angel from his memories. She was still there, thankfully, evident in how she would continue to act as she had before, but he could tell there was something fundamentally different about her, a drive, a purpose, that had the terrible majesty of a glacier slowly bearing down on a hapless settlement. She had thrown herself into her studies, intent on preparing herself for the next war, which was scheduled to occur uncharacteristically early this time round. Herwald, not liking the way some of the less tactical members of the Family had reacted to this, had redoubled his OWN efforts as well, even going so far as to BEG Grandfather Jubstacheit to let him help shoulder the burden.

'I really should have seen it coming…' the youth sighed, shaking his head as he pulled his shirt off, staring at his wiry frame in the bedside mirror, not missing the look on Sakura's face, the slight flinch of the older girl's features at the sight of the markings which adorned his back, chest, and both his arms. At first glance, one might confuse the markings for the more traditional Thaumaturgical crests that are typically bestowed upon the heir of a Magus family, this, however, was a deceptive illusion, as Jubstacheit already possessed an heir, one that had survived the countless assassination attempts against them and was already coveting the old man's power.

The markings the boy possessed were, in fact, a complicated combination of the grafting process needed to create a Magus Crest, and a complex alchemical array, a two part system that combined the traditional European theory with the more ascetic methods of their eastern cousins. Admittedly, they worked remarkably similar to a Magus Crest, unsurprising really, since they WERE created from actual Magic Circuits, circuits that had been harvested courtesy of Jubstacheit's heir's 'thinning of the ranks' prior to being named as heir.

Since none of the 'donors' had the time to impart their spell knowledge, all it basically meant was that their untapped circuits were forcibly transferred into Herwald's markings, starting from when he was six, about five years before the 5th grail war, growing increasingly more complex and painful with each passing year, until finally, the markings covered both his arms, back, and the palms of both hands. The pain had been excruciating, like having hot pokers inserted into every nerve in his body. Every day had been a living hell, but Herwald had endured, his own magic, and the knowledge that he was doing this to help Illyasviel, spurring him onwards, until a year later, Jubstacheit had deemed him ready, and began his training.

He'd held no delusions back then, he knew, more than anyone, that Jubstacheit never did anything unless it benefitted him somehow. The old man had NEVER treated him like a member of the family, had only spoken kindly to Illyasviel as a means to control her, to guide her down her path towards winning the next Grail War, a war in which Herwald was to act as her sword and shield, for the Glory of Einzbern.

Herwald could care less about Einzbern, so far as he was concerned, the only 'family' he had within those walls were Illyasviel and the family Homunculi, two of which, Leysritt and Sella, had joined them on that auspicious day when they'd travelled to Fuyuki city to begin the war.

"The water should still be hot." Sakura assured him, smiling comfortingly at the youth, her plum coloured eyes lined with pity and understanding as she held out a towel and a change of clothes "I need to get Sempai up, he fell asleep in the shed again so we can have your party."

Herwald thanked the girl, accepting the proffered clothing and bathing wear before allowing her to leave first, making his way to the bathroom of the Emiya compound, once again marvelling at just how the 5th Grail war had played out.

_

* * *

_

__

Flashback, _Several Months ago... _

'So this is Fuyuki city.' Herwald noted, the adopted Einzbern eyeing the glittering city with a hint of approval that belied the childish wonderment that he couldn't keep from his ten-year-old face 'Bigger than I'd thought.'

He and Illyasviel had arrived earlier that day, using an ancestral portkey to travel to the Einzbern castle estate that lay just outside the city's borders. Let it never be said that the Einzbern forbears never thought ahead, the castle was pretty much a scaled down version of the one they were used to, even the floor layout was the same, though admittedly the rooms were slightly smaller to compensate.

Illyasviel had gone out to see the sights, despite the protests of Leysritt, Sella, and Herwald himself, the former of which insisted there was no need, while Herwald insisted it was too dangerous for her to go alone. Illyasviel had merely smiled, that deceptively childlike smile that never failed to make his heart soar, and assured him that she was fine, that she would be safe, and as much as he'd like to contest the fact, Herwald had to agree that it was highly unlikely that his adoptive sibling would come to an harm, not with HERACLES, of all people, contacted as her Servant.

That didn't stop him from tailing her though, for all his power Heracles was still, through the machinations of Jubstacheit, a Berserker Servant, and he wasn't about to trust his sibling's safety to a mindless animal. "Assassin." He whispered, his emerald eyes never leaving the deceptively small form of his sister as she walked down the street, "Any signs of the other Masters?"

"None, Master." The Servant replied, head bowed in submission as she crouched behind him, in the shadows, as was her preference.

Unlike Illyasviel, who had summoned the Berserker Heracles as her Servant, Herwald had been ordered to summon an Assassin, in order to compliment Heracles lack of Phantasms, as well as limit the selection of the other Masters. Hoever, the incarnation of Hassan-I-Sabbah he had summoned was hardly the 'Old Man of the Mountain' he'd been expecting. Standing at just under six foot, her lithe body coloured an ashen ebony, dressed in skin-tight breeches with a bared midriff, her only other cover being a cloth bikini and her traditional ashen skull mask, Assassin exhibited a deadly grace that would probably have drawn a few looks if her master wasn't a prepubescent.

Herwald had to supress the urge to shiver at the sight of her ashen skull-mask, for some strange reason it just seemed to remind him of something horrible, something EVIL, despite the fact that Assassin had been nothing but obedient to him since day one. "Keep an eye out for now." He ordered, keeping his voice low, lest he draw Berserker's attention, and by proxy Illyasviel's, to his presence, only to pause hesitantly "What about…HIM?"

"Yes," Assassin acknowledged, her head bowing again as she continued to kneel "As you requested, I tracked the boy down and observed him without drawing attention to myself." She looked up, the darkened holes in her mask peering up at him speculatively "He does not appear to be a master, nor much of a Magus if what little I witnessed is any example, though he appears to be associated with the Makiri heir."

Herwald grimaced, an wave f bile rising in the back of his throat that he quickly squashed. The Makiri were one of the Co-founders of the Grail war, along with the Tohsaka Family, who ironically enough OWNED the land Fuyuki was built on, and the Einzberns. It was the work of Makiri that devised the Servant System for the War, who had crafted the Spell Crests needed to control the Epic Heroes, in their bid to help witness the Heaven's Feel. However, the family had fallen in recent years, what with the decline of their ability to produce magical heirs, in fact it was widely speculated that the line would die out within a generation or two.

'Good riddance.' Herwald muttered, shuddering as he recalled what little information Grandfather had bestowed upon him regarding the style of magic currently being employed by the Makiri, who had renamed themselves the 'Matou' in order to alleviate some of their shame at the decline of their bloodline 'Still, the fact he's associated with them is unsettling…perhaps I should let Illyasviel know…'

Even as he said it, he knew that all he would do was incur his sister's anger. Illyasviel had made it clear to everyone that Emiya Shirou was HERS to kill. She would permit no interference, accept no assistance, not even from Herwald, though admittedly, she'd informed him of this in much nicer terms than she had the rest of the family. Having a deranged Demi-God dangle you off the ground while a deceptively young homunculus glared coldly up at you can prove surprisingly effective waylaying further protests.

Still, Ilya's orders or not, while Herwald couldn't TOUCH the boy Kiritsugu had abandoned them for, he could still see what he was like, if only to determine whether or not to leave flowers at his grave when Illyasviel got through with him.

The first thing he'd garnered, from the files that the family had gathered through their spy networks, that the boy was older than him, Seventeen to be exact, a year younger than Illyasviel, though she had stopped aging prematurely and so looked about the same age as Herwald himself. He'd apparently been an orphan Kiritsugu rescued from the fire that had resulted from the man's destruction of the Grail during the previous Grail War.

The second thing he'd garnered, much to his shock, was that the boy had received little or no training as a Magus from Kiritsugu, and despite suspicions, hadn't inherited Kiritsugu's Magus Crest, as the man had apparently been buried with it. Such an act of direct negligence was BLASPHEMOUS in Magus Society, for a Mage to not pass on their knowledge to their offspring was the same as betraying their ancestral line.

In short, Herwald had to wonder if the boy even had it IN him to be selected as a Master, sure he possessed magic circuits, but without the proper training to awaken them, it was like loading a revolver with blanks.

'Better that he DOESN'T become a Master.' The emerald eyed teen muttered, casting a glance towards his sister, who was marvelling at the streetlights as they flickered on 'At least then Illyasviel will have one less reason to hunt him down...'

But as fate would have it, Emiya Shirou HAD become a Master, the Master of the same Saber servant that had been summoned by their Father Kiritsugu no less. Still, this meant little to Herwald, as despite the fact the teen was now included on the playing field, he was still Illyasviel's 'prey', and far be it for him to get between the hapless, well-meaning failure and their sister's monstrous demigod killing machine. The other masters, on the other hand, were open game, so while Illyasviel went out to 'introduce' herself to their unknowing step-sibling, Herwald began to systematically track down the other Masters along with Assassin, knowing that most of them would be more focussed on his sibling and Heracles.

The first of his targets had been the master of Caster, a common, Magus Association grunt that liked to give himself airs, and apparently had little qualms about using his command seals to force the female Servant into acts of debauchery, Herwald actually stumbling across him in the midst of raping the summoned spirit. The adopted Einzbern hadn't even bothered to conceal his presence at that point, he'd simply stormed in, grabbed the bastard by the face, activated the circuits in his left arm and reduced the man to a lifeless, twitching pile of flesh.

To anyone looking in from the outside, it would have appeared as if the man's body had exploded beneath his skin, in actuality however, Herwald had simply used one of the most fundamental acts of Alchemy, transmutation, to rip the man's body apart from the inside.

Typically, transmutation followed a certain sequence: Comprehension, wherein the user comes to understand the inherent structure and properties of the atomic or molecular makeup of a particular material, including the flow and balance of potential and kinetic energy within; Deconstruction, wherein the user employs their od to break down the physical structure of the identified material into a more malleable state, so as to easily reshape it into a new form through the final stage of Reconstruction.

Normally such a process required the use of complicated transmutation circles, the more complex the intended creation, the more power the runes would need to contain. Herwald's markings, forged from the crafted Circuits of the fallen Einzberns, were some of the most complex in the family's history, a revolutionary alchemy technique that made his entire body, in effect, a portable transmutation circle.

The Markings on his right arm allowed Herwald to initiate the first two steps of the cyclical transmutation process, comprehension and deconstruction, essentially breaking down everything he wished into formless debris. If he wished to reshape the resulting detritus, all he had to do was activate the crest on his LEFT arm, which would complete the cycle, refashioning whatever he touched into whatever he pleased, within limits of course.

Fortunately for the Magus, Human Transmutation was a forbidden art that even the Einzberns refused to touch, outside of medical practice of course, though Herwald could quite frankly care less for the man as he dropped him on the floor, his skin only BARELY holding his ruined body together, the adopted Einzbern turning to face Caser, only to find the Servan had made her escape despite Assassin's best efforts to the contrary.

It had been a stupid, childish mistake, as the primary reason he'd targeted Caster's master first was to either bring her over to their side or finish her off. There was no rule forbidding a master's possessing more than one servant after all, and her scrying abilities would make all the difference if he was to help Illyasviel attain the Grail. With her escape, he would have to be doubly cautious, especially, if her late master's notes were to be believed, considering he was dealing with the Witch of Betrayal, who'd sacrificed her own brother to save her skin.

But what was done was done, he doubted that Caster would be making any big moves on his person anytime soon either, not without a master to back her up. Caster class servants had low mileage when it came to prana, without a master she'd be forced to waste her own reserves just to stay alive, and considering what little he knew of Medea, that didn't amount to much. He'd given her a week at most, and that was being generous, as most Grail wars typically didn't last more than a few days.

* * *

_Present time, Emiya Household..._

'I should have hunted that witch down while I had the chance…' Herwald muttered, scowling to himself at the memory of all the trouble Medea had put them through even as he stepped out of the bathtub, drying himself off and pulling on his trousers quickly, having learned from experience that the occupants of the Emiya house had a bad habit of not checking before barging in 'It would've saved us all so much trouble…'

"Oh, good morning, Herwald-kun." A cool, enticing voice greeted, the younger Einzbern looking up to see a tall, shapely woman standing in the doorway, dressed in blue jeans and a black pullover, her long purple hair trailing down her back, faintly pink eyes visible behind her spectacles "Just finished?"

"Guten Morgen, Rider." Herwald greeted, inclining his head towards Sakura's Servant, used to her presence after staying at the Emiya House for so long "The bath is free."

Rider nodded, smiling slightly as she leaned in, placing a kiss on his cheek, wishing him Happy Birthday before brushing past him towards the bathroom, her teasing smile sending a shiver down his spine despite the warmth of the day.

Herwald's relationship with the purple haired Servant was a little strange, even by most accounts, as the second Master that Herwald had hunted down had been none other than Matou Shinji, the current heir to the Makiri family, who at the time was acting as Rider's Master through the machinations of his Grandfather Zouken and a Book of False Attendant.

While initially surprised that the Makiri had produced an heir capable of Magic, this soon devolved to little more than disdain, as the teen was little more than a philandering, snivelling, cowardly braggart who clearly put more stock in his family's history than his own abilities, which from what Herwald could see, were seriously lacking. The fool couldn't even supply enough prana to sustain his servant, a rather voluptuous looking specimen that could give even Leysritt and Sella a run for their money, evidenced by his ordering her to erect a barrier that would devour the souls from his local school to sustain her.

Herwald had to admit he'd felt SATISFIED splattering the little bastard's brains over the inside of his skull, though the fact Rider had simply stood back and WATCHED, with a smug look on her face, had been mildly disconcerting enough that he hadn't raised much objection when she'd given him the slip.

It had nothing at all to do with the kiss she'd placed on his cheek before disappearing into the ether, though he'd been grateful for the horde of skeletal minions that chose to attack at that moment, as it kept him from thinking about the look of jealousy in Assassin's eyes.

"Verdammt Gorgon." He muttered, not unkindly, even as he pulled on a long-sleeved T-shirt, a hand-me-down from Shirou that Fujimura Taiga had bestowed upon him, depositing his dirty laundry in the washroom before making his way to the main room via the veranda, only to find Tohsaka Rin already sitting at the table.

"Oh? Good morning, Herwald-kun." the Tohsaka heir greeted, looking up at the younger Magus as he walked into the main room, a rice-cracker held to her lips "Early to rise, as usual I see. I'd have slept in if it were MY birthday."

"Guten Morgen, Tohsaka-san." Herwald greeted, inclining his head politely towards his former enemy, and Sakura's elder sister as it turned out, as he took a seat at the table, helping himself to one of the crackers "You slept over again?"

"U-Urusei!" the blue-eyed mage sputtered, sending him a hot glare that didn't quite cover up the flustered blush that adorned her cheeks "Don't think just because you're a year older you can start acting big! You're a fine one to talk either way!"

"Shirou is my Step-brother, Tohsaka-san." Herwald reminded the older Magus "Illyasviel and I have every right to stay in his home as long as he permits."

Rin twitched, before turning her back on the youth, muttering something about 'cocky Germanic brats' and 'soft-hearted idiots' whilst animatedly devouring every cracker she laid her hands on, earning a chuckle from the adopted Einzbern.

Herwald had to admit he'd never expected to be sitting across from the elder girl, sharing polite conversation while awaiting breakfast to be served. He'd first witnessed her during Illyasviel's initial encounter with them outside the Kotomine Church, where the girl's enigmatic Archer Servant had managed to take one of Berserker's lives, along with most of the cemetery, impressing his sister enough that she deigned to let them live for the moment, with Rin proposing an alliance with Shirou and Saber shortly afterwards, in order to stand a better chance against the threat posed by Berserker.

This had posed a problem, as Herwald couldn't eliminate the Tohsaka heir without getting into conflict with Emiya Shirou, an act which would violate his promise to Illyasviel. He decided to leave the matter in his sister's, or rather, Berserker's capable hands. If Illyasviel decided they were to die, there was little Herwald need do but track down Lancer's Master, as well as possibly finishing off Caster and Rider before they could enter into a new contract.

Assassin eventually detected unusual activity at the temple just outside the city limits, which Illyasviel quickly deduced to be the source of the mass Soul-stealing that was afflicting the city. Figuring Caster had started up again, as Rider had only been able to cover a single building, and he doubted a Lancer type could cover a whole city, he'd set out to deal with the Medea once and for all, only to wind up saving Shirou from Tohsaka's treacherous Servant, Archer.

'I can't believe I let him bait me into that fight…' Herwald muttered, palming his face even as Rin looked up to see a bruised and battered Shirou stagger into the house, having apparently been run over by Fujimura-sensei's scooter, AGAIN. 'If it weren't for Assassin I'd have been killed…'

Needless to say, after stalling for several minutes through creative use of Destruction Alchemy, Archer not leaving him enough openings to use Reconstruction, the adoptive Einzbern had used one of his Command Seals to summon is Servant, the two of them managing to catch the red-clad servant off guard long enough to make their escape, though Herwald was almost drained by the time he finally collapsed in his bed at the Einzbern estate.

'And then things REALLY went south…' he muttered, recalling how he'd been roused the following morning, courtesy of Berserker's enraged roars and the sounds of battle being waged in the foyer.

* * *

_Flashback, Einzbern Castle on the outskirts of Fuyuki Forest..._

"Was zur Hölle?" Herwald swore, staggering out of his room without a shirt, grimacing slightly as his wounds, which had been tended to he noticed, stung at the sudden movement "What in Gott's name is going on?"

"Master Herwald!" a voice called out, the adopted Einzbern turning to see a distraught Leysritt, one of the two Hommunculi attendendants that had accompanied them here, racing towards him, her red eyes wide with terror "Master Herwald come quickly!"

"Leysritt?" he stammered, staring at the normally composed maidservant in alarm as she collapsed on her knees before him, kneeling don to help compose the distraught woman "Was ist happening? Was ist that noise?"

"Mistress Illyasviel…" Leysritt gasped, looking desperately up at the youth as she gasped for breath, her hands gripping his upper arms tightly "Mistress Illyasviel ist under attack!"

Herwald's blinked unable to believe the maids words. How could he? Who would DARE attack his sister, knowing they would have to contend with the Berserker Heracles? "How many intruders are there?" he demanded, gripping the distraught homunculus by the shoulders, giving her a good shake to make her focus "Verdammt Leysritt stay with me! How many are there?"

"O-One…" the maid stammered, her crimson eyes lined with tears as she continued to tremble in his arms "There ist but one man…"

"One man?" Herwald repeated, blinking at her in confusion, even as Berserker's roar of fury shook the very foundations of the castle "No man can stand against Servant." He grimaced as his wounds from Archer stung "Not one ALIVE anyways…" His eyes widened "Scheiße, a Servant!"

"He…he just came right up to the front door…" Leysritt sobbed, her features distraught as she trembled in his arms "Sella went to see what he wanted…and he…he…"

Herwald's blood froze, his emerald eyes widening as he realized the reason behind Leysritt' distress. While Sella had not been as close to him as her sister, the stern Homunculus maidservant had still accepted him like all the other Homunculi, the closest thing Herwald had to family within the confines of castle Einzbern. They had treated him as one of their own, and Herwald, in turn, embraced them as his kin. "Wait here, Leysritt." He ordered, his tone commanding as he helped the distraught maidservant to her feet, pushing her inside his room "Stay here and don't come out, that's an order."

Not even bothering to wait for a reply, he pushed her in, slamming the door shut and using his left array to alchemically seal it over, before turning on his heel and racing down the corridor. "Assassin! He barked, the ebony skinned killer appearing at his side, evenly keeping up with him as he raced through the halls "Find Sella! Get her and Leysritt to safety and then come back!"

"As you wish, Master." She acknowledged, finishing into the darkness once more, Herwald not even looking back as he rounded the corner, slamming open the doors at the top of the grand staircase, only to pull up short at the sight before him.

Berserker, the unstoppable killing machine, the almighty son of Zeus himself, stood bound in chains, the iron links digging deep into his bronze skin, his grotesque muscle straining as he endeavoured to break the restraints, an endeavour that proved a far more daunting task than any of his infamous Twelve labours.

Behind him stood Illyasviel, his precious elder sister unable to comprehend the sight of her giant protector's predicament, her eyes wide with disbelief and dawning horror, a horror Herwald couldn't help but feel himself.

"Not even a God can break those chains." A smug, arrogant voice declared, Herwald's eyes lifting to see the speaker sanding before the ensnared giant, one hand on his hip, the other resting almost casually at his side.

He was dressed in a black jacket and trousers over a casual white T-shirt, his blonde hair resting messily over his young, aristocratic features, which wer set with a pair of regal crimson eyes. It was those self-same eyes that gave him away, for no mortal man had ever born eyes that carried such age, such regal presence.

The man was a Heroic Spirit, though something deep within the adoptive Einzbern told him this WASN'T Lancer.

As if to prove it, the blonde man raised a hand in the air, Herwald's eyes widening as a veritable armoury of weapons appeared behind him, their deadly points aimed at the captive giant. With a casual, almost dismissive wave, they launched themselves at their target, Berserker's roars of agony and rage echoing around the ruined foyer, until at last, the giant fell backwards, dissolving back into the ether before he even touched the ground.

"Gott im Himmel..." the youth breathed, unable to think, his knees threatening to give way before the sheer impossibility of what he'd just seen. Heracles was a demi-god, even without the Mad Enhancement amplifying his power, his God Hand Noble Phantasm should have made it impossible for anything below A-rank to even scratch his bronzed hide. The fact the golden haired man had not only done so, but repeatedly, and enough times to actually deplete all ELEVEN of the demi-god's remaining lives, should have been impossible, no Heroic Spirit had THAT many Noble Phantasms.

His thoughts on the matter were soon derailed, however, by Illyasviel's sudden scream, his eyes snapping back into focus in time to see the spirit standing over her. "GET DIE HÖLLE AVAY FROM MEINE SCHWESTER!" he roared, slapping his left palm into the ground, sears of marble and stone erupting from the ground, driving the Heroic spirit back, even as he created a wall of spears around Illyasviel.

"Hoh? Transmutation is it?" the Not-So-Heroic Spirit noted, looking intrigued, amused rather, at his near impalement, his crimson eyes lined with dark humour "So the little mongrel believes himself an Alchemist?"

"Shut your mouth!" Herwald snarled, sending another wave of spears at the Spirit, cursing as the blonde braggart idly dodged them all, slapping his right arm into the nearest one, sending a chain reaction through them all that caused them to explode, violently, pelting the Spirit with shrapnel.

"So you don't need a Transmutation circle?" the Spirit noted, sounding more intrigued by the minute even as he warded off the worst of the debris with a wave of his hand "An impressive display…" he allotted, smirking cruelly as a small, curved dagger appeared in his hands "allow me to return the favour!"

Faster than Herwald could think, yet at the same time as casually as if he were waving a baton, the Spirit swung the dagger, almost lazily, towards the adopted Einzbern, a gust of frozen air trailing in its wake, sending Herwald flying backwards through the air, his limbs covered in frost that shattered the moment he slammed into the stairs, Ilya's screams the last thing he heard before darkness claimed him.

* * *

_Present, Emiya Dining Room... _

'Admittedly, attacking the King of Heroes head on had NOT been the best of ideas.' Herwald muttered, wincing at his foolishness even as the rest of their odd little family gathered around the table, unable to help returning the smile that Shirou sent his way as his elder step-brother sat across from him, Illyasviel clinging to his arm, earning disapproving looks from most of the other females present, particularly Sakura and Fujimura-sensei.

Herwald had come to like the older boy's smiles, as the first one he'd seen had been shortly after he'd regained consciousness from Gilgamesh's attack, only to find the concerned ochre eyes of Emiya Shirou looking down at him in relief, with a neutral Tohsaka Rin standing not too far off. When asked as to why they'd come to Einzbern castle, they'd revealed that Caster, that treacherous witch, had stolen their Command Seals, and by proxy, their Servants, from them, and was currently holed up at the Kotomine church, having murdered the overseer of the Grail wars in the process, though Tohsaka was sceptical as to the validity of that statement.

They'd come, at Shirou's admission, to Illyasviel for protection, a valid stratagem, considering she was strategically the strongest Master in the War, though Herwald wondered if they'd have been so quick to attempt such were they aware that his sister was as likely to kill them simply for being there, though it mattered not, seeing as that fleeting hope had been denied them by Gilgamesh's slaughtering of Berserker, before absconding with Illyasviel.

Herwald had wanted to go after them immediately, injuries be damned, and WOULD have, had Lancer not FINALLY decided to make an appearance, offering his assistance in reclaiming Saber from Caster. Naturally, Herwald had been suspicious of the Irish Hero's offer, having not confirmed just WHO his enigmatic master was, only for Tohsaka to accept off the bat, the elder magus pointing out that, even if the alliance only lasted until Saber was reclaimed, they couldn't do ANYTHING to help Illyasviel without her.

So, after tending to a wounded Sella and a distraught Leysritt, they'd gone to the church, Lancer holding off Archer, while Herwald, Shirou and Rin snuck in to face Caster and her Master, Shirou and Rin's History Teacher no less, in what turned out to be a less one-sided battle than they'd thought. For one thing, while it was clear that Kuzuki Souichiro was no magus, he was by no means defenceless, possessing a formidable martial-art that was capable of weaving under their guard to strike at vital points. Coupled with Caster's magic reinforcing his blows, granting him the ability to punch through STONE, this made for a formidable opponent.

However, reinforced or not, the man's body was STILL that of a man, and all it had taken was Shirou distracting him for a split second for Herwald to grab onto him with his right hand, the destruction array doing its thing, leaving the psychotic educator lying on the floor, little more than a pile of twitching flesh. Caster, enraged at the death of her master, had rounded on him in a rage, giving the perfect target for Assassin to lunge from the shadows, her daggers finding the Witch of Betrayal's unprotected back, Medea not even having time to gasp as her form dissolved back into the ether from whence she came.

Before they could celebrate the victory however, Archer, the cock-blocking bastard that he was, appeared on the scene with a hail of swords, the red-clad servant having apparently been pretending to play along with Caster so as to release himself from his servitude to Rin, and by proxy, her command for him NOT to attack Shirou. Freed of this command, he proceeded to kick the redhead's ass around the chapel basement, prompting Rin to enter into a contract with Saber to deal with her treacherous former Servant, with Herwald and Assassin ending their support.

Even with the odds stacked against him however, Archer weathered the combined assault, fighting off Saber despite her obvious superior strength, before whipping out his OWN Noble Phantasm, a spell so rare it bordered on the True Magics: a Reality Marble, a world that represented the innermost reaches of the caster's soul. The next few minutes had been pure bedlam, blades literally falling from the sky at the Servant's command, hurling themselves at their targets with murderous intent. Herwald could still recall the taste of iron in the air, the smell of burning forges, the sound of distant hammers on the wind. When it was over, Archer had made good his escape with a captive Rin in tow, the Servant challenging Shirou to a duel at the Einzbern castle to get her back.

Now, naturally, Herwald could care less about rescuing an enemy Magus, but with Saber bound to Rin, and Shirou being the bleeding heart he was, the adoptive Einzbern had little choice but to assist his unknowing step-sibling in rescuing the Tohsaka heir, leading them back to the Einzbern estate, sneaking in through the back entrance while Shirou and his former Servant went to Challenge Archer.

He didn't know what exactly had happened during the course of the duel, having volunteered to rescue Rin while Shirou stalled, seeing as he knew the inside of the castle better than anyone, save Leysritt and Sella, who'd been locked in with the magus for company, Leysritt breaking down with tears of relief at his safe return, while Sella made her relief known in more reserved fashion.

When they'd returned to the foyer, it was to find that Shirou, despite all logic, had somehow managed a win, only for Gilgamesh to finish the Red Knight off, and would have done the same to them had Assassin not attacked him head on, his loyal Servant sacrificing herself to buy them the time needed to escape. Herwald had felt their connection fade before they'd even left the property, and in a rage had used his Destruction Array to collapse the castle on top of the King of Heroes.

It had been a childish waste of Prana, doing little more than slow the Golden Archer down, but Herwald could have cared less, seeing it as the perfect requiem for his Servant's loyal sacrifice.

They'd reconvened at Shirou's house, where his sibling had entered into a Prana exchange ritual with Rin in order to better combat Gilgamesh's Gate of Babylon. It was an insane plan, with only the slightest margin of victory, but Herwald had to admit that Shirou's 'tracing' ability made him the natural enemy of the King of Heroes, capable of hurling his unlimited arsenal back in his face. While this was going on, he'd approached Saber, asking her to share the TRUE tale behind the previous Grail War, as it was clear the Servant retained her memories of it from her recollection of Gilgamesh, despite the safeguards in place to prevent such a thing from occurring. By the end of the telling, Herwald's resolve to see that the 5th Heaven's Feel never came to pass had never been stronger.

Preparations made and resolve confirmed, they'd stormed Ryuudou temple, intent on finishing things once and for all, only for Lancer to stand in their way, forcing Saber to battle the Irish Legend while Shirou headed off to deal with Gilgamesh. This left Herwald and Rin to deal with the mastermind, none other than Kotomine Kirei, who as the female Magus had suspected, was very much alive and well.

It had been a brutal battle, as equally psychological as it was physical, Kirei augmenting his prodigious magical might with the corrupted essence of the Grail, hurling the blasphemous sludge at them in a bid to drive them to the brink of insanity, only for Herwald's Transmuted defences to get in the way each time, allowing Rin the opening she needed to drive her family's Azoth dagger into the man's chest, unleashing the stored Magics within, sending the corrupted priest into the afterlife with a self-mocking smile on his face.

All that had been left, after that, was for Saber to destroy the Grail, the Holy Sword Excalibur's might eradicating it from the world, the King of Knights fading with it with a content smile on her beautiful face, her emerald eyes meeting with Herwald's own briefly, sending another surge of memory through him, before they too faded into the ether.

'And here we find ourselves.' Herwald chuckled, looking on with helpless amusement as Fujimura Taiga twirled Illyasviel over her head like a pizza chef kneading dough, Sella and Leysritt looking on in shock, Sakura and Shirou attempting to calm the woman down, while Rin and Rider simply looking on in bemusement.

It was only shortly after the events at the temple that Rider had appeared before them again, having stayed clear of the fighting with her TRUE master, Sakura. This, technically, meant that Sakura was the true winner of the 5th Heaven's Feel, but since the Grail itself had been destroyed, meaning there was no prize to claim, the youngest of the Gorgon Sisters was content to simply live out her life with Rin's little sister, an arrangement that suited everyone just fine.

As it were, the Einzbern siblings were quite content with their new lot in life. Shirou, upon learning of their relation, having taken them in with open arms, glad to have some connection to their father beyond the empty house and the man's name. True, he found Illyasviel's advances a little unnerving, as her appearance aside, she WAS technically his ELDER sister, a fact contested most strongly by the overly possessive Fujimura Taiga, who Herwald suspected was just as attracted to his step-brother as the rest of the females were.

And so things could have continued, all of them living the lives of a highly unusual family, were it not for the large owl that suddenly swooped into the room through the open porch doors, startling Taiga, who lost her footing, only Shirou's desperate lunge saving his sister and guardian from serious injury, though he himself was buried beneath them as a result.

Ignoring the spectacle for the moment, Herwald turned his attention to the owl, noting that it was an Eagle Owl, a rarity in itself, though not one indigenous to Japan, as they were indigenous to Europe and the United Kingdom. It held a letter in its beak, and was regarding him the same intensity one would expect from an antiques examiner searching for a forgery.

After a moment's silent contemplation, it hopped awkwardly across the tale towards him, opening its beak to deposit the letter in his lap, before spreading its massive wings and flying out the open porch doors, disappearing into the blue sky with a shriek, the rest of the house staring after it in shock.

Herwald, initially stunned by the encounter, turned his attention to the letter, noting that it was made of parchment, rather than typical paper, turning it over to stare at the address written on the back in emerald-green ink:

_Mr. H. Potter,_

_The Guest Room,_

_Emiya Estate,_

_Fuyuki City,_

_Japan._

* * *

Well, there we go. Again, apologies for the length, backstory is hard to summarize.

For those of you out there in Review Land wondering, yes, Herwald IS Harry, Herwald being the old German translation of Harold, as far be it from the Einzberns to call a child under THEIR roof anything other than a German Name.

Another reason for the renaming is because Jubstacheit, (alternatively known as Old-Man Acht) has a personal grudge against Dumbledore in this, enough that one of the times Dumbledore's nose was broken (at least twice according to Rowling's initial description of him) can be attested to the Current Einzbern head. A fact that gives him IMMENSE satisfaction.

Seeing the chance to pull one over on the 'twinkle-eyed schweinhund', as he 'affectionately' refers to Dumbles, he took in the 'boy who lived', brought him up as a means of controlling Illyasviel, and then turned him into a living 'Weapon' in order to seize the 5th Heaven's feel, which, as we all know, didn't quite fall through.

Harry's 'Alchemical Circuits' work identically to Scar's 'Destruction' and 'Creation' Arrays, and are, in fact, the same thing, only refashioned to suit the rules of the Nasu-verse, in that they require Prana, or Od, to activate. Other than that, they follow the same principles of Alchemy as in Fullmetal Alchemist, allowing The Boy Who Lived to make use of quite a range of techniues from the show.

For those of you that can tell, this 'backstory' section is a reworking of the 'Unlimited Blade Works' Scenario, with elements of 'Fate', (in that Ilya is still alive) and 'Heaven's Feel', in that Rider is still Sakura's Servant, worked into the equation.

Harry will NOT be God Mode in this, Alchemy has it's limitations, though his Array negates the most important of them, the need of transmutation circles. He WILL, however, be entering into the Wizarding World with a better understanding of what he's capable off, so don't expect him to be dragged around by the shorthairs.

I'm debating putting him in Slytherin or Ravenclaw, for the simple fact that, as a result of his upbringing, he's unsuited for Gryffindor or Hufflepuff. Truth be told, I'm leaning more towards Slytherin, as Einzbern have a bit of a reputation of being 'dark' wizards, though not necesarrily EVIL.

Pairings are undecided at the moment, as I'm hesitant to remove anyone from Shirou's Harem, which canonically includes Rin, Saber (Who will be making a reappearance later on), Sakura, Rider (proven in Hollow Attraxia), Illyasviel (She's EIGHTEEN PEOPLE!) and quite possibly Taiga (she's possessive enough). I may introduce Rider's sisters, Stheno and Euryale, later, as well as Mordred, Arturia's 'son', though this is undecided as of yet.

Other than that, the story will follow the basic plot as the books, and may cross with Tsukihime later, depending on the flow.

Like it? Hate it? Review to let me know!


	18. Overlord Zero: Raising Eden Vital

Yo, just another little idea i had stewing in my brain due to lack of sleep and too much takeout.

Lelouch: Oh God not again...

Kyugan: What can I say? You're just so...mallable to certain plots.

In any case, enjoy.

* * *

Overlord Zero: Raising Eden Vital.

_Once upon a time, there was…and ending…and we Minions, searched high and low, for a new Overlord._

_It was a disheartening time…without an Overlord to sustain and guide us we were like Fleas without a Dog…Maggots without a Carcass…Pimples without a Face…_

_But one Midwinter's eve…just as we'd given up all hope…in the mountain town of Nordberg, we found…a Beginning…_

* * *

_Nordberg, Northern wastes of Avalon..._

Lelouch cursed as he was hit in the head with a snowball, the frail youth falling face-first into a snowdrift, to the pleasure of his tormentors, who proceeded to laugh at him as he struggled to pull himself up.

"Yeah that's right!" a large boy called out, his smile mocking as he tossed a snowball in his gloved hand, his large frame wrapped up warmly in thick clothes fashioned from wool and fur "Stand up so I can knock you down again!"

"The hell did I ever do to you?" Lelouch demanded shivering in his patchwork clothes, little more than hand-me-downs that were a size too big for his admittedly slim body. Unlike his tormentors, who were a collection of bushy red and browns, Lelouch's head was topped by silken black locks that framed his slim, almost feminine features. Normally, such looks would have garnered him the immediate attention and adoration of many, however, the truth was Lelouch was little better off than a pariah, worse even, as at the very least beggars were granted a warm bed and a hot meal before being sent on their way. The closest Lelouch ever got to hand-outs was the scraps of clothing he'd pick up from people's trash.

"You were BORN!" the large boy sneered, Dudley if memory served, the porker rearing his arm back and hurling another snowball at Lelouch's head, howling with laughter as he once again knocked the boy off his feet "Oh yeah! Headshot!"

"Maybe we better stop…" another boy muttered, eyeing Lelouch uncertainly as the smaller boy clambered shakily, but determinedly to his feet, glancing around warily "Remember what happened last time…"

"Naoto isn't here to save him this time." The larger boy sneered, packing snow into another projectile even as Lelouch shook his head clear "You hear that witch boy? You're on your own!"

Witch boy. That was what they called him, the title he'd been given in his unwarranted exile, so named for the numerous little quirks that people had noticed over the years. By the time most children were learning their alphabets, Lelouch was already conversing with people more than three times his age. While normal children were rough-housing and generally getting under foot, Lelouch would sit and play games of chess against the older residents. At ten years of age he'd only ever tied once, and that had been against the village elder, who'd died shortly after.

However, what really set them off where his eyes, those deep, regal purple eyes that seemed to look deep within your soul to see the contents within.

It wasn't even as if Lelouch had ever done anything to them, though there were times, like now, when he wished he could just snap his fingers and make them all just disappear. It was simply because of his looks, his brains, and the sheer inescapable fact he was different from them that caused the people of Nordberg to fear and resent him.

"Let's see if I can get him between the eyes…" Dudley goaded, rearing his arm back, only to fall over backward, uttering a choked howl of anguish as something smashed into his face, the fat boy rolling around on the ground, holding his nose.

"Get away from him!" a voice yelled, the group looking up to see a familiar figure, a girl with a shocking head of flaming red hair storming towards them, bundled up in an red and brown parka against the cold.

"Kallen…" Lelouch muttered, the dark haired boy both glad to see the redhead and angry that he had to be rescued by her at all "What're YOU doing here?"

"Nunnally sent me to look for you." The redhead explained, looking down at the boy after she was certain the others had run off, Dudley stumbling after them holding his broken nose, her expression one of exasperation as she reached down and helped him back up "C'mon, up you get."

Lelouch grunted, accepting the redhead's hand, allowing her to pull him easily, much to his chagrin, to his feet, even as his would-be tormentors made for the hills. Kallen was the village tomboy, a regular spitfire with a temper as fierce as her flaming red hair, which stuck out at the back no matter how hard her mother tried to tame it, and a tongue that was sharper than any knife. She was also, as strange as it sounded, the closest thing Lelouch had to a friend in the entire village.

"You're a mess…" the redhead muttered, looking Lelouch over with growing concern, taking in his battered, soaked appearance even as she wiped snow off his clothes "Just what were you doing out here? Nunnally was really worried about you."

Lelouch winced, mentally berating himself for getting side-tracked by Dudley and his goons for as long as he had, as the last thing he'd ever wanted to do was worry his little sister.

When Lelouch and Nunnally had turned up outside the gates of spree, it had been in the middle of a blizzard, so nobody had seen Lelouch stumble through the gates, the then ten-year old holding his four-year old sister in his arms, having wrapped her up in his own coat to protect her from the cold.

They'd travelled from door to door, looking for shelter from the storm, only to be ignored, the howling winds and snow blocking out the hammerings and cries of the boy, which grew increasingly more urgent as time passed. By the time they reached the town inn, Lelouch was a the end of his rope, and had collapsed after hammering at the door, which opened to reveal the innkeeper, Kallen's mother, desperation having given the boy the strength he needed to catch the woman's attention through the noise of the storm.

Kallen's mother had taken one look at the pair and had bundled them inside, putting them in her own bed and tending to them round the clock. According to Kallen, Lelouch's skin had been so blue that for days everyone thought he'd die, in the end the boy had only pulled through thanks to her mother's refusal to let him go, and the sheer force of his own will to live.

However, the siblings did not survive their near-death encounter unscathed. Lelouch's health never truly recovered, leaving him frailer and less energetic than his peers, though this was hardly a problem, as Lelouch wasn't one for roughhousing anyway. No, the true problem was with Nunnally, or rather, her eyes. From the day she woke up in Kallen's mothers room, to this very day, Lelouch's little sister had been unable to see anything.

Lelouch blamed himself for her loss, the boy refusing to believe otherwise, despite Kallen's mother, her older brother Naoto, and Kallen herself assuring him that there was simply nothing he could have done. As a result, whenever he wasn't running errands for Kallen's mother, Lelouch waited on Nunnally hand and foot, guiding her around town, telling her stories and brushing her hair, sleeping at her side at night, never letting her out of his sight for longer than he had to, to the point Naoto, Kallen's elder brother, had teased him of having a sister complex, right up until Kallen smacked him upside the head.

"C'mon, let's get you back." Kallen insisted, snapping her friend out of his thoughts by grabbing his wrist and dragging him along behind her "Mom said we could go to the firework show, remember? We promised we'd take Nunnally."

"I know, I know…" Lelouch muttered, sighing as he allowed himself to be dragged along like a kite on a string, not that he'd ever seen a kite before, there was too much snow in the air even in spring for anyone to chance it in Nordberg, so he only knew of them thanks to the countless books Kallen's mother kept around the Inn.

As they walked through the town, Lelouch noticed the looks he was getting from the residents, looks that bordered between suspicion and dislike, looks which he returned with equal fervour, only unlike the villagers, HE had a reason for disliking them.

What reason had they given him to think otherwise? They hardly ever, with the exception of the elders and the children, acknowledged he and Nunnally even existed, and in the case of the latter, they were objects of ridicule and amusement, a source of entertainment, though thankfully, after Kallen had kneed Dudley in the nuts for picking on Nunnally, the fat bastard had designated Lelouch as the primary target for their spite.

"We're back, Mom!" Kallen called out, Lelouch looking up as they entered the Nordberg tavern, the best Inn in Nordberg town, despite being smaller than the one near the Mayor's home, which the less avoury members of the town frequented.

"Ah, Kallen!" the redhead's mother called out, smiling at the girl as she walked past, carrying two tankards of frothy ale "Nunnally's waiting upstairs, could you tell Naoto to get me another barrel of mead from the store while you're at it?"

"Sure mom!" Kallen called out, releasing Lelouch's wrist with a sigh "Don't you DARE leave without me." She warned, before heading off in search of her elder brother, leaving Lelouch to walk past the bar towards the living area in the back, a couple of Bar regulars waving at him in greeting as he passed, which he returned with a polite nod, knocking on the bedroom door twice before slipping in.

"Big Brother?" a voice like an angel's choir called out, Lelouch feeling his world go soft in the face of those angelic tones "You're late."

"Sorry." He offered, stepping forwards and kneeling before the blind girl, taking her hands in both his own, kissing the back of her knuckles daintily "I'm here now though."

* * *

_Lelouch and Nunnaly's room... _

Nunnally giggled and Lelouch couldn't help but feel proud of his sister. Not much older than six and she was coping with a disability that could leave men broken. It was humbling to see how easily she could adapt to anything that life threw at her, whereas he couldn't seem to let bygones be bygones.

Shaking such thoughts out of his head, Lelouch focussed his attention on dressing Nunnally in her winter clothes, consisting of one of Kallen's old sealskin anoraks and leggings, pretty much a smaller version of what Lelouch was wearing, only white in contrast to his dark blue.

"I have something for you." Nunnally insisted, stepping away from her brother once he was satisfied that not a single article of warmth enclosing clothing was out of place "Close your eyes!"

Lelouch smiled and complied, listening as Nunnally made her way confidently across the room, marvelling at how she'd already gotten used to navigating around their small room. HE had enough trouble finding his way around the inn during the night, and he had a perfectly good pair of eyes in his head.

"Open your eyes!" Nunnally urged, Lelouch following her orders only to blink as his beloved sibling held out what appeared to be a folded piece of red fabric "Tadah! It's your midwinter's gift!"

Lelouch couldn't help it, he stared at his sister, torn between surprise and wonderment as she continued to hold out the folded fabric, her smile never wavering "Nunnally…" he managed after a moment "You didn't have to do this."

"But I wanted to." Nunnally countered, her smile bright as the sun after a blizzard as she continued to hold out his gift "I worked really hard on it too, Kallen's mother taught me how."

Lelouch made a note to thank the redhead's mother again, though he knew for a fact she would simply waive his thanks aside, saying she was just doing what was right. Nevertheless, Lelouch and Nunnally owed the woman more than they could ever repay, if she ordered Lelouch to build a temple in her honour, he'd do it with his bare hands. "Thank you." he offered, smiling gratefully at the girl as he took the gift from her, unfolding it to reveal a long red scarf, more of a cloak really "Now I feel bad for not getting YOU anything yet…"

"You're taking me to the Midwinter festival." Nunnally countered, beaming up at her elder as she hugged him around the waist "That's more than enough for me."

"How cute." A bemused voice noted, Lelouch looking up to see a teenaged boy standing in the doorway, his fiery red hair a dead ringer for Kallen's.

"Ah, Naoto!" Nunnally greeted, turning to smile in the direction of Kallen's older brother "Is it time to go yet?"

"Just waiting on you two." Naoto assured the girl, ruffling her hair, smiling whimsically at Lelouch as Nunnally giggled "I gotta envy you kid, wish MY kid sister was as adorable as yours." He winked suggestively "Wanna trade for the day?"

"And just WHAT do you mean by THAT, dear brother?" an annoyed voice demanded, Naoto shivering as Kallen appeared behind him, the younger redhead's brow twitching in annoyance, her gloved hand lashing out to grab his ear and twist "Are you saying I'm not cute enough for you?"

"GAH! MY EAR!" Naoto yelped, the elder teen twitching comically in place as Kallen proceeded to twist his ear painfully "LELOUCH! HELP ME!"

"You're on your own, Naoto." Lelouch countered, smirking coyly as he directed a confused Nunnally towards the door "Try not to leave a mess, alright Kallen?"

"TRAITOR!" Naoto yelled, only to howl in agony as his younger sister proceeded to kick the crap out of him for the umpteenth time, Lelouch guiding his sister out into the Inn proper, where Kallen's mother smiled weakly and the patrons simply snickered into their beers.

Just business as normal at the Wolf's Head Inn.

* * *

_Later..._

"Seriously…it's not fair…" Naoto muttered, the redhead looking decidedly sullen, an awful woolly hat perched on top of his head in order to hide his swollen ear as he walked down the street alongside Lelouch "How come YOU get such a cute sister while I have to put up with Kallen?"

"I would think you'd learn to watch what you say around here." Lelouch chuckled, smiling wryly at the elder boy as they walked behind the girls, Kallen leading Nunnally towards the town centre "Or are you looking to get a matching set of ears?"

"Wiseass little punk." Naoto muttered, though the smirk on his lips made it clear he was only teasing. Ever since they'd been rescued from near death, the elder redhead had taken on the role of a surrogate older brother for Lelouch and Nunnally, a fact that had initially not sat well with Kallen at all, the younger redhead believing they were stealing her brother from her.

Naturally, in true childish fashion, she'd joined with the other village children in tormenting them, or rather Lelouch, playing pranks that got him in trouble or ridiculed by the townsfolk, Naoto's reprimanding only serving to egg the girl on.

That had ended when the children made the mistake of accidentally angering a yeti, which Kallen had managed to distract so that the others could escape, the redhead leading it oaway from her friends and Lelouch, only to realize far too late she'd stepped onto an ice field, the treacherous cracking of the ice and the Yeti's howl of fear the last things she heard before she fell into the freezing cold water.

When she awoken it was to find herself at home, in her brother's bed, Naoto sitting at her bedside, holding her hand in his, so pale with relief that for a moment she'd mistaken him for a walrus tusk carving. She would be further shocked when he revealed that it was not HIM that saved her, as he'd been on a hunting trip with the men, but LELOUCH, the boy, without a thought for his condition, diving headfirst into the water and dragging her out, carrying her back to town on his back, almost dying AGAIN in the attempt.

Needless to say, Kallen and Lelouch soon patched things up, and Naoto spent every waking moment tormenting his sister for how brightly she'd flushed when he told her the truth of what happened, just outside Lelouch's earshot of course.

Sure, he had to put up with the shame of getting his ass kicked by a girl not even in her teens, but considering the fact she was lucky enough to BE there, he didn't feel he had the right to complain. So far as Naoto was concerned, Lelouch and Nunnally were family, and as countless bullies and drunks had learned, you didn't dick around with Naoto's family.

"'lo there Naoto." A voice called out, the redhead looking up to see Nev, one of the town guards, leaning precariously on his spear, looking decidedly one tankard over the barrel "come fer the festiv…fiti…come fer the show?" he asked cheerfully, only to blinl, narrowing his eyes blearily at Lelouch "'Ere, why'd you bring the Witch Boy with yeh? Don't trust those funny eyes of his."

Lelouch scowled, and looked like he was about to say something that would most likely get him thrown out on his ass, again, only for Naoto to slap a hand on his shoulder, the redhead plastering on a fake smile as he grinned at the guard. "Don't worry, so long as I'm here, I won't let him put a toe out of line."

"Well…s'long as it's you…" Nev muttered, looking lost, drunk and confused, trying to glare threateningly at Lelouch, only for his unfocussed eyes to lock at something over the boy's shoulder "Ye do what Naoto says, y'hear? Or funny eyes or not, I'll punt ye over the damn wall."

"Like you could manage it in your state…" Lelouch muttered, glaring at man as they walked off, sneering in disgust as the idiot tripped over his own spear pole, sending him face first into the snow "honestly, who picked him for guard duty?"

"You think he's bad NOW, imagine what he'd have been like at the Midwinter party." Naoto pointed out, the redhead grinning as Lelouch shivered "Now lighten up! You keep scowling like that it'll freeze in place, and that'd just ruin your girlish complexion."

Lelouch glared at the redhead, though it was more from exasperation than real anger, as he was far past worrying what people thought of his looks. It's not like he could injure the older boy either, aside from Kallen, there was nobody who could beat Naoto in a fistfight.

'Maybe I can let it slip that HE was the one who spilt beer on her favourite boots the other day…' he pondered, stroking his chin, a small smile adorning his lips as he considered it, only to be distracted when a massive firework shot into the air, detonating and bathing the town in a sea of colours.

"What was that?" Nunnally called out, the blind angel looking around in alarm, clearly startled by the loud unexpected noise.

"No need to worry Nunnally." Kallen assured the younger girl, a soothing hand going to rb her back as she patted her shoulder "They just started the firework displays."

"Fireworks?" Nunnally asked, looking excited, tilting her head back so that she was facing the array of colours and lights overhead "Wow! They sound amazing! I wish I could see them!"

Kallen winced, eyeing the little girl in concern, a sentiment shared by Lelouch, who felt the bitterness he felt for the rest of Nordberg rise. If the townsfolk has responded to his pleas for help sooner, then perhaps Nunnally's eyes might have been spared. While the Blizzard attributed SOME factor to this, it was mainly because of fear and distrust that they'd barred their doors to the children back then. 'None of that…' he muttered, shaking his head t clear it, sending a covert glance towards Kallen, asking her to leave it to him, the redhead nodding and stepping back as he knelt beside his sibling.

"It's like there are stars shooting across the sky…" he informed the girl, his hand resting on her shoulder as he tracked the shapes and flashes through the air "It's only there for a second, but in that one second it's like the stars are dancing."

Nunnally released an 'Ooh!' of excitement, turning her angelic features towards the sky once more, the siblings standing side by side, Lelouch on one knee as he held her close, simply basking in each other's company as the festivities wore on.

The sounding of the alarm shattered the momentary peace, the revellers looking up in surprise, their cheers and laughter fading away to wary confusion, just as a terrified looking Nev arrived on the scene, the man stumbling towards them, tripping over his own two feet in the process, waving his bell like it was going out of style.

"Empire-!" the guard warbled, and Lelouch was shocked to see that, despite the man's lack of motor skills, he seemed to be horrifyingly sober "The Empire's forces are marching right this way!"

* * *

_As the crowd panics..._

"The Empire?" Lelouch repeated, his back going ramrod straight, his shoulder gripping Nunnally's shoulder tightly, even as the girl's smile gave way to a look of concern "Here?"

The Holy Empire of Britannia was the ruling body of the land which controlled an ever enlarging expanse of the World. It had formed by Charles zi Britannia, Leader of the Holy Order of Akasha, and the Legendary Hero, who had saved the world from the control of the Evil Overlord, an evil tyrant so powerful that even today, his name was spoken in whispers.

According to the tales, Emperor Charles, who back then had been a mere Paladin, had set out to slay the Overlord and bring peace to the realm, aided by a band which would come to be known as The Seven Heroes.

The Heroes marched for days, fighting the Overlord's forces at every turn, rallying allies and raising armies from the oppressed people of the land, eventually leading them to the very gates of the Overlord's Dark Tower, where he finally clashed with his nemesis.

It was said the battle between the two mortal enemies brought the tower down around them, when the dust settled, only Sir Charles was left standing, the Overlord's body broken at his feet. He returned to a Hero's welcome, receiving the honourable title of 'Sword of Akasha' for his deeds.

It was shortly after this that things began t change, for Sir Charles wasn't content simply being known as the 'Sword' of his order, the Hero soon rising through the Order Ranks to become the Head of the Order, after which he turned his attentions to the surrounding lands, intent on ending the petty conflicts that divided them by uniting them under one banner: HIS.

And so the Britannian Empire was formed, leading his army of Paladins across the land, Charles brought peace and stability with him, and the people thanked him for it. Well, MOST of them did, those that weren't 'tainted' by Magic that is.

One of the main edicts of the empire was that Magic was considered a taint, Charles backing this by pointing out that it had been the pull of evil that led to people like the Overlord, it was an unholy, corruptive force, one that had no place in HIS kingdom.

As a result, the Empire citizens, and those who wished to either join the empire or left alone, were VERY anti-magic, often willingly helping the Empire's forces either by handing over any friends, neighbours or relatives that had displayed a fraction of the skill at some point, or by helping them to capture any and all Magical Creatures they came across, killing, torturing or enslaving anyone and everyone who stood in their way. And right now, Nordberg was right in their path.

"Kallen." Naoto muttered, the elder redhead's his voice serious as he turned to follow the other men with his eyes "Get back to the inn…take Lelouch and Nunnally with you." He frowned as she made to protest "NOW Kallen."

"Show off…" the younger redhead muttered, looking on with a hurt expression as her elder sibling raced off to the town walls along with the rest of the menfolk to repel the invaders "Where does he get off treating me like a kid?"

"I think he's pretty justified, seeing as we ARE kids." Lelouch opined wryly, holding up a hand to placate the redhead "In any case, let's get back to the inn."

"You go if you want." Kallen countered, looking incensed as she turned on her heel and raced off "I'm gonna go see what all the fuss is about!"

"Kallen!" Lelouch yelled, reaching out for the girl, only to curse and turn his back on her, as friend or not, Nunnally came first in his book "C'mon Nunnally."

"What about Kallen and Naoto?" Nunnally asked, Lelouch marvelling at how, even in this threatening situation, the blind angel put others before herself.

"They can take care of themselves…" Lelouch muttered, recalling the siblings' numerous spats, both with each other and the village idiots "Together they're unstoppable."

Nunnally didn't look convinced, but allowed herself to be led back to the Inn, where Kallen's mother was waiting to shuffle them inside, the trio waiting it out behind the counter, as all the patrons had gone to see what the fuss was about.

"It's all so very strange…" Kallen's mother noted, lookin concerned even as she continued to bustle about, picking up empty tankards and dropping them unceremoniously into the overfull sink "What on earth would make the Empire come all the way out HERE?"

Lelouch didn't answer, simply focussed on helping her tidy up, while Nunnally sat by the oven, warming herself. The woman's question was a valid one though, as despite the Empire's zeal to wipe out all magic, they'd never ventured out THIS far before. Not only that, but Nordberg was as afraid of magic as any other empire controlled area, so they'd have sent off a legion of soldiers to investigate LONG before now if there were Magic users around.

It was at that moment that the door to the inn slammed open, revealing a panting Kallen, the younger redhead's face a stark contrast to her fiery red locks "Kallen?" her mother called out, looking concerned "Whatever's the matter?"

"We gotta go…." Kallen insisted, striding into the room, past her confused mother and to the larder, where she began placing items into a small sack "No time to talk mom, Naoto told me to get Lelouch and Nunnally out of here NOW."

"What's going on?" Lelouch demanded, looking at the redheaded girl in concern, a dawning sensation of dread forming at the base of his stomach as he watched his friend dash about "What happened?"

"Dursley happened." Kallen muttered, earning a disgusted grimace from everyone, even Nunnally, who normally made it a point to get along with anyone "That overstuffed bastard sold you an Nunnally out to the empire, apparently they've got these things called 'Sentries' who can detect magic, the Soldiers outside wants us to hand over the two 'Magic users' we're hiding."

Lelouch scowled, his teeth clenching together so slightly it was a good thing he still retained his milk teeth, as he felt a few crack. Reigning in his anger, the youth stepped forward, helping Kallen pack the bags while her mother tended to Nunnally "Where's Naoto?"

"Trying to stall them, he said to take you out of the village via the hills at the back." Kallen admitted, her features focussed, though Lelouch saw her hands trembling, the boy shaking his head in wonderment. IT truly was amazing that, despite her fierce temper, fighting skill and overall savagery, Kallen was still a ten-year-old girl by the end of it all.

* * *

_The Escape..._

Needless to say, after packing only the essentials for wilderness survival, as Naoto had taught them, Lelouch shouldered the pack, wrapping the scarf Nunnally gave him around his head and face to both protect it and conceal his features, pulling on a hooded parka as he led his sister out the back of the inn, Kallen's mother hugging the siblings one last time, urging them to come back once the coast was clear.

They moved quickly and silently through the village, even WITH Nunnally's disability hindering them, it didn't take long for them to make it to the back gates, which hung open and abandoned due to the revelry prior to the Soldiers arrival.

"Coast's clear…" Kallen whispered, gesturing of the siblings to move s she broke from cover, Lelouch leading his sister behind him, his purple eyes narrowed as he glared at the landscape, as if expecting soldiers to pop up out of thin air to ambush them only to shiver as a distinct howl echoed through the air. "Wolves…" Kallen muttered, the redhead clutching the knife she always carried with her with a grimace, Lelouch pulling Nunnally closer to his side "Just great, as if the empire's dogs weren't bad enough…"

"The Wolves won't bother us so long as we steer clear of their den, remember? Lelouch muttered, grimacing slightly behind his scarf as he peered through the thick undergrowth "And I doubt the Empire's stupid enough to march their troops through a den of Nordberg Wolves."

Nordberg wolves were massive beasts that grew to be just over a man's knee in height, and were intelligent enough that they knew better to stay clear of Nordberg town proper, just as the villagers knew to avoid their den like the plague.

"Don't count on it…" Kallen muttered, the redhead scowling at the woods, though she had to admit the boy had a point. For some strange reason, the wolves didn't seem to mind whenever Lelouch or Nunnally came by, if anything it was almost as if they LIKED the children. Lelouch had once admitted that it had been a wolf that had led them to Nordberg in the first place, a fact that hadn't endeared him any to the village "Something's got them all riled up…"

As if the words were a summons, several armoured figures burst from the woods, their swords drawn and shields at the ready, surrounding the children in an instant. "Well now…" a mocking voice sneered, a tall Knight with spiky orange hair stepping forwards, the soldiers parting slightly to let him pass "What have we here? A couple of little lost lambs?" he smiled at them in mock sincerity "You should be careful out here little ones, there's wolves in these parts that would just LOVE to get a taste of you."

"Damn…" Kallen swore, the redhead backing up even as Lelouch hugged a frightened Nunnally tight to his side, the elder youths glaring at the ring of snickering knights warily, Kallen holding her knife at the ready "Imperial dogs…"

"Such foul language from such a young girl is inappropriate" the lead knight sneered, his mocking smile belying his words, Lelouch's hackles rising at the sheer animosity the man was giving off "Though I suppose I shouldn't expect a backwards yokel to understand what's proper."

"You bastard!" Kallen snarled, her temper flaring as she advanced on the knight, only to choke as he lashed out with his boot, nailing her right between her chest and stomach, the redhead collapsing on her knees, only to be shoved face first into the snow as the Knight put his boot on her back.

"Now then…" he sneered, earning cackles of glee from his men as he held the girl down "My men and I are looking for something…perhaps you've seen it?" he pulled out a piece of paper "You see, we received word that a 'witch boy' was spotted in the area." His sneer widened as he felt Kallen tense beneath his boot "Well now, it seems the information was right…" he leant down so that he was leering into her eyes "Where is he-!"

Before he could finish, a savage snarl tore through the air, a massive Nordberg wolf leaping from the woods, knocking the Knight off his feet, the rest of the Knights looking on in horror as more of the lupine lords emerged from all sides, scattering the knights, their fangs bared and their snarls furious.

"Jeremiah!" Lelouch exclaimed, gaping at the sight of the massive wolf, the leader of the Nordberg pack, as it sauntered out of the woods. It was a magnificent creature, large even for a Nordberg wolf, with a slightly orange tint to its thick fur, and an unusual gleam of intelligence in its eyes. It was this very wolf that had lead Lelouch to Nordberg during the blizzard that cost Nunnally her sight, apparently having taken a liking to them, as Lelouch had seen it watching them on more than one occasion whenever they left the town.

Jeremiah sniffed at the boy, who knew better than to stop it, Nunnally giggling as the massive wolf's cold nose touched her cheek, before looking at Lelouch. "Thanks for the help." Lelouch offered, not even bothering to question why he was talking to a wolf, only to blink as Jeremiah tugged at his sleeve insistently "You want us to follow you?"

"You filthy little bastard!" the orange haired Knight swore, struggling to fend off the wolf that was doing its best to tear his throat out "YOU'RE the witch boy!"

"DAMN!" Lelouch swore, gritting his teeth, making a quick decision, before scooping up Nunnally, depositing his startled sister on Jeremiah's massive back, before racing over to Kallen and dragging the stunned girl to her feet "GO!" he ordered, shoving the confused redhead towards Jeremiah "Get them out of here!"

"Wait! Lelouch!" Kallen exclaimed, only to shriek as Jeremiah lunged, diving under her, the redhead landing on his back along with Nunnally, who was holding onto the tufts of fur on the wolf's mane as he tore off into the woods, the rest of the pack following him, while Lelouch tore off in the opposite direction.

"AFTER HIM YOU FOOLS!" the head knight screamed, scrambling to his feet with a look of murderous fury on his face "BRING HIM BACK! IF I DON'T SEE THAT BOY IN CHAINS BY THE END OF THE DAY THE ARENA WILL BE THE LEAST OF YOUR WORRIES!"

The Knights didn't even bother to respond, they simply turned towards Lelouch and gave chase, desperation overriding their fear of the massive wolves that had attacked them. After all, when it came to threats, Lord Bradley kept his words, and compared to the punishments HE could dish out, being sent to the Arena was NOTHING.

* * *

_With Lelouch... _

Lelouch cursed as he ran, his lungs burning as they fought to draw breath, his limbs like lead as he tore through the undergrowth. From behind him he could hear the sounds of armoured pursuit, a LOT of armoured pursuers by the sound of it, which meant at least most of the Empire soldiers were coming after him. 'Good.' He muttered, teeth clenching as the confirmation of this fact leant new strength to his limbs, driving him onward 'The more there are chasing ME, the less will go after Nunnally.'

"There he is!" a voice yelled, Lelouch cursing as he espied a Soldier out the corner of his eye, switching directions so that there was a patch of woodlands between them, not wanting to get caught, but unwilling to lose them, he needed to get as many of them as possible to follow him for this plan to work.

'Please don't let him be asleep…' he muttered, knowing better than to pray, as thus far it had done him and Nunnally no favours, wincing as he burst from the foliage onto the ice fields, where the seal colony could be seen in the distance, barking animatedly at one another, only to yell as something pierced his shoulder from behind, the force of the blow knocking him off his feet and down the slope, the seal herd scattering as he landed amongst them.

'An…Arrow…?' he noted dazedly, too stunned by the fall to even feel pain as he glanced at jagged metal that had been nailed through his shoulder blade 'No…throwing dagger..'

"Little pest…" a familiar voice snared, a hand grabbing Lelouch by the collar of his parka and hauling him into the air, the boy coming eye t eye with the orange haired Knight from earlier "Thought you could escape ME did you? I'll admit summoning your wolves to aid you was clever, but sending them with the other two was a fool's mistake."

"Takes one to know one…" Lelouch shot back blearily, a small part of his mind groaning at how childish he sounded, though considering the pain and numbness he felt, he supposed he could be forgiven this one time. Apparently the Knight didn't share his opinion, the madman snarling, tossing the wounded boy to the ground and stamping on him for good measure, grinding his boot into Lelouch's skull.

"If you were anyone else I'd ave you head boy…" the Knight growled, his voice threatening as he increased the pressure "You're lucky I'm under the orders to bring you abominations back ALIVE." He sneered, drawing another wicked looking dagger "However, the orders didn't say anything about 'unharmed'…and I'm sure the emperor would appreciate not having to put up with your smart tongue-!"

A roar of fury tore through the air, the Knight looking up just in time to see one of his soldiers get launched screaming into the air, sailing high overhead and out of sight from the force of the blow, a massive figure with black and white fur appearing over the ridge.

"A Snow Yeti?" the Knight exclaimed, looking at the beast in alarm, only to curse as it spotted him, leaping to the side as the beast leapt down towards him, eyes widening as he felt the ice crack beneath its weight "SHIT!"

He leapt to the side, scrambling for solid ground while the Yeti, realising it's predicament, gave chase, leaping clumsily from ice-flow to ice flow in a bid to avoid falling into the freezing water, while unnoticed by anyone, a small segment of ice drifted off, bearing the still form of Lelouch away with it.

Anyone, that is, save for the nuemerous glowing golden eyes that were lurking in the dark woodlands nearby, chattering excitedly amongst themselves.

* * *

I think that'll do as a spoiler, don't you?

Lelouch: Did you have to make me look so pathetic?

Kyugan: Dude, Milly could outrun you in full frock dress, physically you're as pathetic as shounen heroes come. If you weren't such a magnificent bastard I'd start making Anime Tuxedo Kamen references.

Lelouch: Why anime?

Kyugan: Cause apparently the MANGA Tuxedo Kamen is actualy a competent fighter. He even has his own magical attack.

Kallen: Tuxedo la Smoking Bomber? The hell?

Kyugan: Do not doubt Takeuchi-hime, or Togashi-sama will send his enforcers to beat you up.

Lelouch: Oh yeah, those two are married aren't they?

Kyugan: With child too, God bless. In any case, for those who couldn't tell, this is a crossover between Code Geass and the Overlord Series, and will involve elements of all three mainstream titles: Overlord Dark Legend, Overlord Raising Hell and Overlord 2 (Not including Minions, unless an omake comes up.)

As you can see Kallen is the 'Kelda' of th series, which means she's definately slated for one of the Mistresses.

Kallen: SAY WHAT?

Kyugan: As for the others, well, as i said, this involves the plots of Overlord 1 & 2, so Lelouch could wind up with anything between 3 and 5 mistresses.

Lelouch: Why must you insist on giving me a harem?

Jeremiah: More importantly, why am 'I' a wolf?

Kyugan: It was either that or the yeti, which would you prefer?

Jeremiah: Well at least I'm a freaking Timberwolf...seriously look at those things!

Kyugan: Indeed, as you can see, Charles is the 'Emperor Solarius' of this story, but other than that I'm not going too deeply into the plot. Suffice to say, he was one of the 'Seven Heroes' who killed the Previous Overlord, and is now setting out to conquer the world.

Lelouch: (played the end of Overlord 2) Oh I'm going to enjoy this...

Kyugan: Still working on the basic plot, but I've definately confirmed most of the events and the mistress roles so far, though I am, of course, open to sugestions.

In any case, you know the drill, if you like, then REVIEW to make it happen!


	19. Unlimited ÄRM Works

Whew, lotta work to be done this week so I'll keep this short.

This work was inspired by Gabriel Blessing's fics, Hill of Swords and In Flight. Seriously, read them, they're good enough to be made into visual novels themselves.

Just another idea in the mill.

* * *

Unlimited ÄRM Works.

In a place untouched by time, a lone man sat upon a hill of swords, a man that had, for an eternity, been weighed down with regrets.

This man, at one point, was a naïve child, who following his salvation from a fiery hell on earth, had devoted himself entirely to the false dream of his rescuer, the dream of a 'Hero of Justice', capable of saving everyone.

To that end, despite being little more than a failure, a dullard with no real talent, he had single-mindedly refined what little skills he'd possessed, until he'd developed them beyond the point most would consider 'the limit'.

However, it hadn't been enough, there was only so much a mere mortal could do, even one who had pushed themselves beyond the brink of mortal capabilities, made all the more apparent when, faced with the possibility of watching hundreds of people die before his eyes, he reached out to the world, offering his servitude for a miracle…and the world, or rather, the spiritual embodiment of Man's Desire to Survive, accepted.

And so, for the power to save all those he laid eyes on, in exchange for the power to save even MORE after his death, the man entered into a pact with the world, and became a Counter Guardian, a Protector of the Balance, a Hero, just as he'd always wished.

However, it would soon turn to be a jaded profession, for despite his efforts, despite his wholehearted devotion to saving people, despite sacrificing his very soul, the man was not seen as such, instead, following the end of a war which had raged for years, he found himself falsely accused of being the mastermind behind the entire affair, and summarily executed by the very people he'd fought to protect.

Bu his suffering did not end there, no, a far worse fate awaited him than death. The Counter Force, the enigmatic will that watched over the world of man, had come to collect on their contract, and the man soon found himself on the battlefield once more.

He would not have minded such a fate, after all, he'd fought countless battles for the sake of others before, however, he would soon learn that his duties as a Counter Guardian were not to continue 'saving' people, but rather to 'clean up' after their actions, meaning that, in order to preserve Humanity as a whole, he was forced to kill many more people, innocent and guilty alike, all so that the Human Race could continue to exist.

How many battles had he fought? How many times had he swung his bloody blades? How many lives had he ended? How many more had he saved?

He'd slain tens in order to save hundreds, hundreds to spare thousands, countless thousands had met their end so that he could save tens of thousands more, but still the killing would not end, for humans, those foolish creatures, were their own worst enemy.

Time after time, hill after blood-soaked hill, he bore witness to humanity's self-destructive tendencies, the once ironclad ideals he'd carried in his heart of heart growing rusted, discarding them time and time again.

And every time, after his bloody work was work was complete, he would find himself alone on a hill of swords, intoxicated with the thrill of victory, awaiting the next command, the next battle, the next folly of man, all the while cursing himself for his youthful naivety.

All he had wished for was the power to ensure no-one suffered, regardless of who they were, instead, he took the lives of men, women, children, in order to save countless others. While the fires of retribution burned through his veins, his heart itself felt as fragile as glass.

Was this what he had survived countless battlefields for? Never retreating from a fight, uncaring, unable to care if people understood him or not?

In the end his life had no meaning, all he had left was the hill of swords, the hill of weapons he, himself, had fashioned. The weapons of heroes & villains alike, the tools of the divine to the demonic, all he had recreated, all he had wielded, in truth, he understood the weapons far better than he understood himself. It was almost as if they were a part of him, or rather, as if his body ITSELF was composed of countless blades.

Seeing no escape from this endless cycle, the man had stacked his hopes on being summoned during the 5th Heaven's Feel, the War for the Holy Grail that he had experienced once before, though this time, he would be summoned as a Servant, rather than assuming the role of one of the Masters.

In a way, it was almost nostalgic, seeing his hometown, untouched by war or strife, watching old friends and acquaintances going about their normal lives. He recalled his battles with Lancer, the Light of the Irish, and his murderous spear Gae Bolg. He recalled his clashes with Saber, his own servant from his time as a human, marvelling at the King of Knight's radiance as they locked swords, her emerald eyes boring into him, unable to connect her red-clad foe to the red-haired boy who summoned her. He remembered Caster's machinations and Rin's look of betrayal, he recalled Rider's sensual form and Berserker's monstrous howl.

And he recalled the clash of steel as he locked swords with his adolescent self, intent on ending the boy's life, and thus his ow suffering, by ensuring the boy never became a 'Hero'.

He'd long since denied his own existence, long since cast aside the ideals of his youth, but despite knowing he couldn't win, despite his desire to end it all, he found himself, at the last moment, unable to move as his former self challenged him head on.

Rather than denying the boy's existence, he, himself, was the one denied, the boy, tracing the very swords he'd attempted to kill him with, weaving under his strikes and delivering a blow that, while not final, reminded the man of just what he'd cast aside.

And so he'd conceded his defeat, using his body as a shield against the oncoming onslaught of his Golden predecessor when the King of Heroes had made his entrance, entrusting the mad Servant's destruction to his former self, only stepping in at the last moment, the last weapon he traced ironically saving the boy he'd resolved himself to kill.

But he had no regrets, no, rather, he would not allow himself to regret. For every life he took, he still saved countless more, while no-one knew his name, that did not matter, for at least they were alive to be ignorant. He was content, at last, to wait here on his Hill of Swords, his heart, still raw, but healed of most of the grief he'd been forced to endure…Or so he'd thought.

Even now, as he gazed out across the endless field of weapons, the man felt snippets of his life, of his FORMER life, changing. Memories which seemed so bleak and hopeless mere seconds ago were changing, ever so slightly, thanks to his prior self's acceptance that their life WASN'T some expendable tool, that there WAS worth in their existence, other than as a shield for those who would take advantage of him.

He could still recall making a lot of mistakes, mistakes that were no less costly than they'd been the first time around, but this time the boy had not been alone, he had friends to shoulder the burden, comrades to fight beside, allies that raised him up when he was weak, that drew strength simply from being in one another's presence, and the man felt, ever so slightly, his very being changing as a result.

"How long are you going to just stand there?" he called out, a wry smirk adorning his lips, his eyes coming up to land on the familiar features that the entity before him borrowed whenever it deigned to speak with him "What would you will of me, Alaya?"

The being that stood before him wore the facsimile of Tohsaka Rin, right down to her favourite red jumper, the way she stood with one hand on her hip, even her light green eyes. But unlike the REAL Tohsaka Rin, whose eyes, even when in her guise as an 'honour student', contained an inner fire that burned with her pride as a magus, the eyes of the simulacra before him were devoid of human emotion, though it deigned to quirk her lips in the facsimile of a wry smile.

"You're certain this is what you want?" it noted, even going so far as to imitate Rin's smug tone, though it was a hollow imitation, devoid of her inner fire, her personality, that which made her RIN "You had the chance to end your servitude…the chance to deny your very existence, the chance to negate the contract you signed with the world…why didn't you?"

"Don't bother pretending you care." He mocked, his tone wry as he smirked up at the twin-tailed facsimile of the girl he'd been indentured to, both as her apprentice, and her Servant, the girl who had, literally, turned his life upside down "Something like you could never understand."

"I suppose you're right." The facsimile admitted, Rin's lips quirking in another mockery of her trademark smirk as it shook her head in what might have passed for bemusement if the man believed it possessed the capacity for such "Still, are you sure this is what you want? An eternity cleaning up after the sins of man?" those emerald eyes peered into his own gray pair invasively "Didn't you wish to prevent yourself from becoming a Hero?"

"I should never have become a hero…" the man countered, though a wry smirk formed on his tanned face as he got to his feet, stepping past the silent facsimile of his former master and lover, the tail of his cloak billowing behind him "Or at least...that's what I believed…But it doesn't matter how I died…it doesn't matter if I suffer for an eternity for the choices I made…I never asked for a reward, never expected salvation, I never wished for those things to begin with."

He turned and walked towards the field of weapons, the tail of his coat railing behind him on the wind as he walked, straight-backed and proud, towards whatever fate awaited him. "Even if this path strays from my ideals, it is the path I chose for myself…" he declared, a small, sad smile that was strangely weightless forming on his face, "It is the only path for me…there can be no regrets…"

The facsimile regarded him silently, the borrowed features unreadable as it watched the most troublesome of its contracted souls, only for it to smile, the first honest smile it had ever worn "A good answer…" it noted, running a hand through it's hair just like the real Rin would do when striking a pose "Hold onto those beliefs, you'll need them where you're going."

The Red Knight barely had time to ponder what the Guardian Force meant when a set of doors appeared before him, his gray eyes widening as they slammed open, a blinding light enveloping him, a clown's laugh the last thing he heard before everything went black.

* * *

In a dense forest where light could not penetrate...

A young man stood with his hand outstretched, his deep blue eyes locked onto the ring on his finger, which promptly shattered, having fulfilled its purpose. "The Dimension ÄRM has been destroyed…" his companion noted, hovering around him in concern, lest he'd been injured by the ring's destruction.

"Excellent…" the teen muttered, bringing his hand up to his face, his expression unreadable, though there was a tenseness about his shoulders that spoke of anticipation "That means the summons worked…someone has been brought here from the other world."

* * *

_Through the Gate..._

He awoke to the feel of sunlight and wind against his skin, his grey eyes opening slowly, grimacing as he was forced to shield his eyes from the golden rays of the sun.

'Golden?' he wondered, freezing, his eyes widening in disbelief as he gaped at the sky. In his time, the sky was perpetually obscured by clouds of a rusty, reddish tint, a side-effect from the war with the Dead Apostles, a war which had raged for years even after he'd passed on.

The sky he was gazing up at now was a flawless blue, peppered with fluffy white clouds like something out of a fairy tale.

'What the hell?' he wondered, siting up slowly, blinking in amazement as he gazed upon the lush fields of grass that seemed to extend forever in all directions. To his left lay a dense forest, to his right, snow-capped mountains rose in the distance. The air was rich with birdsong, though he certainly didn't recognize the majestic creature that flew over his head, and the scent of summer, which he hadn't smelled for what must have been a lifetime.

'Did I get sent back in time?' he wondered, looking around in amazement as he got to his feet, his eyes narrowing as he searched for any type of threat 'This doesn't look like anywhere in Japan, so I'm obviously not in Fuyuki city…' he looked down at his hand 'Not only that, but I don't feel like I was summoned as a Servant…or if I have, I wasn't given a proper class.'

Not only that but something about his body was…off. He was moving too easily, FAR too easily, as if the gravity of the world wasn't pulling on him as it should. It was mildly off-putting, not unlike trying to walk on the moon, an experience few had ever enjoyed the privilege, but when you ran in the same circles as the Princess of the True Ancestors, a surprisingly common occurrence.

"Hallo there!" a voice called out in German, one of the many languages he'd learned after making the acquaintance of Zelretch, the Guardian whipping round, looking for the source of the voice, and perhaps some answers, only to find nothing there "Good day to you sir!" the voice came again, this time from somewhere by his feet, forcing him to look down to see a pair of rocks with faces.

'Did I finally snap?' he wondered, blinking at the absurd sight before him in disbelief 'Is this some sort of punishment for trying to defy the Counter Force?'

"I say, are you alright young man?" the elder of the two, or at least the moustache it sported made it APPEAR older, never mind the fact it should've been physically impossible "You're looking awfully pale."

'Considering my tan that must say a lot…' the Guardian muttered, shaking his head to clear it, before kneeling down to get a better look at the apparently sentient rocks. From what he could tell, they were ordinary rocks in every way possible, save for the fact they were literally FLOODED with Prana, he could sense it coming off them I waves. Wherever the hell he was, the level of ambient magic was significantly higher than Earth.

"I say, young man?" the moustached rock stammered, looking a little unsettled by the guardian's scrutiny, the younger rock looking decidedly nervous "Is everything alright?"

"Sorry." The Guardian offered, realizing that, magical or not, he'd ignored the man, rock, person he decided, twice now. Fuji-nee would've whacked him upside the head with Torashinnai by now for his lack of manners "I'm a little lost, as you can imagine, where I come from I've never met beings like yourself."

"Well we are few and far between." The moustachioed rock admitted, his tone making it clear he understood the man's problems "Truth be told it's been a long time since I've laid eyes on a human being. Normally my kind sleeps during the day and only come out at night, but I'm afraid it's just so terribly warm today and we didn't think to find proper shelter when we settled down last night."

'Some sort of earth spirit then?' he hazarded, quirking a brow at the being's description, even as he ignored the curious looks he was receiving from the younger one 'A troll maybe? Definitely something along those lines…'

"I say god sir," the Earth Spirit spoke up, his tone apologetic "I am sorry to trouble you, seeing as we've just met, but would you mind bringing us some water? I would not ask but we've been out in the sun for hours…"

"I understand…" he assured them, getting to his feet, stepping carefully towards a nearby babbling brook, where cool, fresh water flowed tranquilly, the Guardian pausing to raise a handful to his lips, surprising himself at the taste.

'Pure water…' he marvelled, a rare smile forming on his face as he marvelled at the pure, unaltered flavour of the precious liquid. Ever since the war with the Apostles, the only safe drinking water was that which was carefully filtered through factories, which carried a faint, almost negligible aftertaste of metal. He hadn't had a truly fresh drink of water since he'd been summoned as Rin's Servant, and even then it was only during the occasional cup of tea he'd been asked to prepare.

Shaking himself out of his musings, the red knight traced a cup, nothing special, just a cup, and filled it with water, walking back to the eagerly awaiting rocks, pouring it over them, taking care to ensure they got an even share.

"Ah!" the elder spirit sighed, closing his eyes as he allowed the cool waters to run down his sides, not that he could do much else really "Most refreshing, I thank you sir." He blinked up at the knight even as his son voiced his thanks as well "But if I may, might I ask what brings you here and from whence you came?"

"That's…a little difficult to explain." The Guardian admitted, smiling wryly, wondering how on earth he was supposed to explain "Suffice to say I'm a stranger in a strange land, though I'm glad the language is close enough to one I know."

"That is strange…" the elder of the two muttered, his moustache twitching as he pursed whatever passed for lips in thought "Not many humans venture out this far alone, those that do are either adventurers or troublemakers-!"

As if his words were a summons, the Guardian felt a surge of magical energy behind him, whipping round only to see a small, in comparison to HIM anyway, silver Knight-like figure racing towards him, armoured fists drawn back to attack.

"LOOK OUT SIR!" the rocks cried, looking on in alarm as the silver attacker advanced on them, bracing themselves for the attack, only to blink as the guardian's form blurred, one minute crouched before them, the next whirling to meet their assailant, a clash of steel on steel echoing across the clearing "A human…protecting US?"

* * *

_Nearby Outcropping..._

"Hmm…" a figure noted, her brows quirking as she watched the resulting brawl below with interest, her attention locked not on the magical rocks, but rather on the red-clad figure that was holding off her knight.

"Those swords…" she murmured, eyeing the weapons that the man had apparently summoned into existence, as she couldn't see any sheaths from her vantage point "Could they be…?"

* * *

_Back to the Battlefield..._

"Huh…pretty tough…" the Guardian muttered mockingly, his usual smirk in place as he held the straining silver figure before him with ease "Pretty tenacious for a toy, aren't you?"

The Silver Knight retreated, leaping back as if to reassess the situation, but the red-clad knight was having none of that, hurling his trademark weapons to the side, a fresh set already appearing in his hand as he closed the closed the distance, the Silver Knight bringing its arms up to block, only for the thrown blades to loop around from behind, slamming into its back with devastating force, sending it sprawling forwards.

"Its over." The Guardian declared, bringing Kanshou down with a backhand swing that cleaved the Silver Knight's head from his shoulders, his grey eyes narrowing as, rather than collapsing in a pool of blood, the body stiffened, before vanishing in a cloud of smoke, revealing the broken remains of a silver ring on the ground. 'As I thought…" he muttered, eyeing the shattered remains suspiciously 'It didn't move like a human, and despite the magic coursing through it, it possessed no soul of its own…some sort of golem?'

The sound of applause drew his attention to a nearby outcrop, his brow quirking as he espied a young woman, early to mid-teens at the very least, in what could only be described as a stereotypical 'witches gown', an image aided by the broomstick at her side, and the pointy hat perched on her pink, braided hair.

"Well done!" she applauded, her tone cheerful, though laced with a coy undertone that only an idiot would miss as she leapt down, touching down gracefully before him "Colour me impressed! I didn't think I'd bump into someone like you all the way out here in the sticks."

"I take it this…THING belongs to you then?" the guardian muttered, eyeing the remains of the fallen knight out the corner of his eyes, though he didn't take them off the apparent witch-cosplayer for a second.

"Afraid so." The girl admitted, sighing disappointedly as she shook her head "Too bad, I mean sure it was the weakest ÄRM in my collection, but it's still a shame you had to break it." Her eyes flicked to Kanshou and Bakuya "Those swords of yours are something else."

"They are indeed." The guardian replied cryptically, keeping his features neutral even as he eyed the girl. For some reason she seemed interested in Kanshou and Bakuya, perhaps she was some sort of thief "That aside, who are you? And what provoked you to attack me?"

"Oh! Where are my manners!" the girl stammered, smiling apologetically before raising a hand to her chest in greeting, the other holding her broom "My name's Dorothy, pleased to meet you!"

"DOROTHY?" the elder earth spirit exclaimed, his voice laced with surprise and terror as he gaped at the girl before their rescuer "Good sir! Run that woman is a witch!"

"I kind of guessed from the dress." The guardian replied, smirking wryly even as the pinkette glared at the spirits, who cowered behind him "Now, the reason you attacked me?"

"It wasn't really an attack." Dorothy countered, though she had the decency to look embarrassed as he quirked a brow "You never know what types you might bump into around these parts, my Ring Armor's pretty much a scout to detect threats, by the time I got here you'd already engaged."

"What was it anyways?" the guardian demanded, turning to look at the small silver shards that had once been a suit of armor "You called it an ÄRM?"

"Eh?" Dorothy blinked, looking at the man in confusion "What are you saying? Of COURSE it's an ÄRM, what else could it be?"

"I thought it was a golem when I first saw it." He admitted with a shrug, "That or a marionette, I've never heard of ÄRMs before."

"You're kidding!" Dorothy exclaimed, looking stunned, only to blink as she caught the unabridged honesty in the man's eyes "You're not kidding? But if you've never heard of ÄRMs, where'd you get those swords?"

"These were forged by a master blacksmith and his wife." He replied, twitching his wrists slightly so the light danced off the twin blades "They put their heart and soul into them, it's said they will always find one another no matter how they're thrown."

"So they're not ÄRMs?" Dorothy pressed, looking distressed as the guardian shook his head, palming her face with a groan "Another bust…of course some hick from the sticks wouldn't have an ÄRM."

"What exactly IS an ÄRM?" the guardian pressed, brow twitching slightly at being considered some sort of backwards yokel "I take they're valuable if you're raising such a fuss?"

"Well, it depends on the ÄRM." Dorothy admitted with a sigh, holding up a finger in a manner eerily reminiscent of Rin whenever she went into 'lecture mode'. "You could call them 'Magic' I suppose, each ÄRM is an accessory with unique powers crafted into it mystically." She nodded her head "There are many different types, ranging from mediocre ÄRMs that can be bought anywhere, to legendary treasures that wield amazing power. My Ring Armor was one of the former, good for testing the waters but not much else." She smiled cryptically "However, I recently learned there's a real rare one stored in a cave not far from here! The problem is it's sure to be booby trapped, and without my Ring Armor I'd be a sitting duck." She clasped her hands together "So what do you say? Care to help me out? I'll make it worth your while?"

"Don't do it sir!" the elder earth spirit exclaimed, looking alarmed "Don't let her fool you! She's a witch known throughout the world! She'll cheat you out of everything you own!"

* * *

Guardians POV...

The guardian quirked a brow at the spirit's words, even as Dorothy flinched, the witch scowling at the pair angrily, though he didn't miss the hurt look that flashed across her eyes briefly "Is that true?" he asked, his tone neutral "Are you really that well known?"

"Well…" Dorothy muttered, looking torn between pride and concern as she eyed the tall, admittedly handsome stranger before her nervously "I admit I'm quite well known in these parts...I've picked up a few rare ÄRMs on my travels so people tend to get the wrong idea." She pouted angrily "I mean it's not like I go breaking into people's homes like some common bandit! I only go after rare, magical ÄRMs!"

"So then I'm guessing you're quite knowledgeable of the area." The guardian pressed earning a look of confusion from the girl "Tell you what, in exchange for breaking your ÄRM , I'll help you search for this rare ÄRM." He held up a finger "In exchange, you direct me towards the nearest town."

"DEAL!" Dorothy cheered, slapping her hand in the man's without missing a beat, as it really wasn't that bad a deal. A strong bodyguard for the price of playing tour guide? She'd have to be CRAZY to let a chance like that pass her by.

'Plus it'll give me a chance to see those swords in action again.' She noted, smiling to herself as she recalled the beautiful pair of blades that had apparently multiplied during his fight 'ÄRM s or not, those things looked rare, maybe I can convince him to trade for them?'

"Sir I implore you not to do this!" the elder Earth spirit insisted, looking distraught "You protected us! Gave us water! We can't let you go off with that…that WITCH!"

"I appreciate your concern, sir, but I'll be fine." The red clad knight assured the spirits, smiling kindly down at them as he patted the younger one on the head "She's not as scary looking as the witches I'm used to."

Then again, there were few things that could come close to inspiring the same level of bladder spewing terror as Aozaki Aoko on her period, though Touko without her smokes came pretty damn close.

"By the way…" Dorothy called out, mentally filing away the man's comment for later, for if he had contact with witches prior to this, there was a good chance he'd met HER "I didn't catch your name?"

"I never gave it." The man replied, smirking to himself as he got to his feet, Dorothy unable to help the slight flush that adorned her features as he turned to face her, a true smile adorning his tanned features "Call me Emiya, pleased to meet you."

* * *

And I'll leave off right there.

As you can see, this is a cross between Fate/Stay Night (F/SN, more accurately the UBW path) and Marchen Awakens Romance (MÄR).

One key difference between Gabriel Blessing's fics is that this is definately the Counter Guardian EMIYA, rather than a Shirou well on the way to becomming one (A Guardian that is). As you can see, I've taken a few liberties with his personality, namely in that his 'memories' which were always sketchy apparently, are being rewritten thanks to his influencing Shirou.

In my opinion EMIYA (or Archer for those who prefer the title) is the Shirou Emiya from the Fate Scenario, in that he spent forever looking for Sabre and pushing himself to become a hero, only to be betrayed in the end by his own ideals and the people he saved.

My reasons for this are as follows:

1. Archer remembers Illyasviel, and regrets being unable to save her. Sure, Illyasviel lived in the Fate scenario, but only for about a year, after which she died from whatever the Einzberns did to her prior to the grail war.

2. His uncertainty with his memories on certain events, since the UBW scenario is subtly different from the Fate scenario which he went through. This would also tie-in with the fact the UBW scenario can only be played AFTER you finish the Fate Scenario in the game.

So in short, EMIYA/Archer is Fate Shirou all grown up, and now his life is being 'rewritten' by UBW Shirou, meaning that, while he's still trapped as a Counter Guardian, that's not going to stay that way. Because Shirou, armed with the skills and knowledge of his future counterpart, won't make the same mistakes so easily, and won't be alone to do so.

In short, I wouldn't be surprised if an 'Epic Hero Emiya' rose to replace the 'Counter Guardian Emiya' persona.

Who knows, maybe it'll be this fic that does so...if it gets off the ground.


	20. Aufruf der Bachstelze

Yet another brain fart on my part.

Warning: Contains Spoilers for the future of the Herwald von Einzbern Series, those who wish to be surprised, look away, those who don't give a sh-!-t, read on.

* * *

Aufruf der Bachstelze.

"Thank you for your patronage!" the girl behind the counter offered, bowing politely to the handsome, sandy-blonde foreigner in the black suit as he picked up his purchases and walked out of the store "Come again soon!"

'Unlikely.' Avenger noted, the Servant sighing as he walked out of the fast food restaurant, a bag of takeout held in one arm, several bags of groceries held in the other. If anyone were to look at Avenger, they would see a medium-sized young man with decidedly effeminate features, an image that was compounded by his wearing his long, dirty-blonde hair in a plaited braid at the back of his head. Not even his choice of clothing, a well-cut suit and tie, complete with gloves, could dissuade the odd stare from the occasional male.

Said males might have rethought their advances if they'd known the Servant's true identity as Mordred, bastard son of King Arthur, the Fallen Knight that had landed the killing blow to the King of Knights on that fateful battle at Camlann.

Mordred's birth had always been in dispute, but one thing was always constant, the fact he'd been 'spawned' from the union of Arthur and his half-sister, Morgan la Fey, few were aware of the specifics of his birth, in the beginning, only Morgan, the King, and perhaps Merlin knew of his true origins, but since living with Herwald and the Emiya extended family, the Servant had filled them in on the 'finer' details.

The truth was, that Mordred had, in life, been a homunculus, created from sperm extracted from Arturia after a prank by Merlin had left the King of Knights with fully functional male genitalia, something about not wanting to ruin Guinevere's wedding night if Arturia's bitter mutterings were to be believed.

His mother, Morgan, had enchanted her sibling, bedded her, and then used the resulting ovum to give birth to Mordred, a complete, male clone of Arturia, whom she raised as a son, telling him that if he hid his status by never removing his helmet and obeyed the king, he would one day inherit the throne.

Mordred had born his mother's obsession, however, he himself had born no evil intentions toads his sire, if anything, he adored the King of Knights, worshiping her as the 'Perfect King' who could do no wrong, and so yearned for her approval and acceptance.

However, due to complications due to the 'coining' process used to give him live, Mordred's rate of growth was much higher than was normal, even for a homunculus. To compound this, his life-span was also greatly reduced, so it was doubtful he would ever live to see his twentieth birthday.

Refusing to be daunted, he devoted himself to his studies, and on Morgan's introduction, was introduced as a member of the knights of the round table. At first, his lack of origins and insistence on hiding his features drew some suspicion, but his abilities in swordsmanship and straightforward mental chivalry soon earned him his rightful place in Camelot. However, he would always feel shame at the twisted origins of his birth, a shame that led to an unconscious jealousy towards normal people, though he hid such feeling's away in order to strive to be an ideal knight.

His illusions were one day shattered, when Morgan, in an act of spite, crushed his innocent heart by claiming that Arturia would never accept him, that she would consider a child born from her in such a manner 'filthy', an act that was compounded when Arturia, learning of his existence, completely rejected him, refusing to recognize him as an heir.

Mordred, unable to comprehend why his beloved sire would wound him so, came to believe the reason behind his rejection was due to the hatred Arturia bore towards Morgan, and that no matter how much he would work to excel over others, he would forever be viewed as a 'soiled' child.

And so, with his child's heart trampled and wounded, the love he'd borne for his sire turned to hatred, Mordred using the distrust the rest of the Round Table was beginning to foster towards Arturia to seize control of Camelot while the King was on an expedition to Rome. However, in his heart of hearts, no matter how much Mordred claimed to hate the king, he really wished for nothing more than for Arturia to address him as 'son', to be accepted, if not as heir, then at least as part of her family.

When Arturia heard the news of how Mordred had taken the crown, she returned to England to reclaim the throne, her loyal Knights in hand, though it was only after a series of bloody confrontations that 'Father' and Son came face to face, Arturia asking for a truce to be called, a truce which Mordred was all too willing to agree to, for he had no desire to battle his sire.

And so they met, on the fields of Camlann, Arthur and Mordred, each with fourteen knights, would meet at a spot between their respective armies. However, just as the treaty was being signed, one of Mordred's own knights saw a snake in the grass, and without thinking drew his sword to kill it, upon the sight of the drawn blade, both armies launched an attack despite their commander's orders to the contrary.

'Because of one fool, Knight fought Knight, Friend fought Friend, Brother fought Brother and Fools made Fools of us all…' Avenger muttered, grimacing as the memories of that final battle replayed before him. If he closed his eyes, he could still hear the sound of clashing steel, the screams of men and beasts, the thunder of charging hooves and the wails of the fallen.

And he could recall his Sire's words, as they faced one another atop a hill of swords.

_'Not once did I despise you.'_ The King of Knights declared, her emerald eyes as fierce as ever, though laced with an undertone of compassion that made her treacherous son's heart break _'There was only one reason I would not give you the throne: You didn't have the capacity of a King.'_

So great was his shock, so great his awe, that he did not resist when Arturia had run him through with her spear. He had simply collapsed, finally removed the helmet forced upon him, staring up at his beloved King with a face almost identical to her own, reaching out to touch her at least once with his own two hands, only to fail, the light fading from his eyes even as Arturia stared at him in shock.

'It is done…' he muttered, shaking his head to clear it of such morbid thoughts 'The past is the past, while I regret my choices, there is nothing that can be done about them…what matters now is the present.'

When Avenger had first encountered Herwald von Einzbern, having been invited along with several other ghosts to attend a 'Deathday party', he'd been thrown at how the boy had mistaken him for his sire, calling out to him using the King of Knight's true name. He would eventually enter into a contract with him, becoming his Servant in order to help the Alchemist in training defeat the Basilisk that had plagued the schools.

And the adventures hadn't stopped there, oh no, what with escaped convicts, Dementors, dragons, magical tournaments and a deranged dark wizard out to kill his master, the Bastard Knight was kept quite busy.

Thankfully, that had all come to a close in Herwald's final year, climaxing in a final battle where his master had cut down the serpent that had plagued him since infancy, bringing in a new age of peace for the backwards Wizarding society that was the British Wizarding World.

'Honestly…' he muttered, shaking his head as he made to cut through the park, as he could hardly take to the rooftops in so crowded an area, and he couldn't astralize whilst carrying the bags of food either 'Merlin certainly left things in a mess with that bunch…'

Not that it mattered to HIM what Merlin's descendants got up to so long as they kept to themselves. All that mattered to him was that he'd been given a second chance to connect to the 'father' he'd yearned for, a chance made possible once again by Herwald, who as it turned out, was descended from Arturia's step brother.

'Sir Kay was always kind to me…' Mordred recalled, smiling at the memory of the his Sire's Seneschal, or Officer of the King's Law, who'd gone out of his way to protect the King from any defamation, even at the cost of his own reputation 'I wish he had survived the war…'

Shaking his head once again, as such thoughts were REALLY unnecessary, he was about to make his way through the centre of the park, a shortcut which would lead him right back to the apartment complex he shared with Herwald when he saw her.

* * *

_Shin Tokyo Park..._

She was curled up, her legs loosely folded in front of her, her arms hanging loose from her shoulders, and slouched back a bit to support her weight against the park bench she was sitting on. Her hair was a light, almost smoky grey, framing her face, which was set in a dazed expression, her eyes staring at nothing, as if nothing in the world mattered to her.

However, what drew Avenger's attention was not her expression, or even her position, which screamed fragility and loss, but rather the fact that, aside from what appeared to be a half-buttoned man's shirt and a lab-coat draped over her shoulders, she was completely naked.

'What the devil?' the fallen knight wondered, his emerald eyes narrowing as he glared at his surroundings, trying to ascertain the reason for the woman's state. Despite the late hour, the park was far from deserted, at first glance he spotted several mothers with their children, small groups of high school students , salary men, and the odd couples that one would come to expect in such a place.

However, all of them were pointedly avoiding looking in the woman's direction, making no effort to disguise the fact, the mothers forcing their children to avoid looking in her direction, sending disapproving glares at her over their shoulders.

'Vipers…' Avenger muttered, glaring at them coldly, already moving towards the woman even as he thought so, his code as a knight, as a MAN, moving his feet towards her, ignoring the looks from the crowd as he pulled up before her. "Excuse me, miss." He called out, only to be ignored by the woman as she continued to stare at the ground before her dazedly, Avenger's eyes narrowing as he pulled up closer, allowing him to see the large stains that covered one side of the coat, easily recognizable as blood to someone who'd spilled so much in his life.

"Are you alright," he pressed, setting his bags down and kneeling to before her, taking one of her hands in his, blinking at how cold she felt through his gloves, even as he tried to get her to look at him, noting the strange marking on her brow with interest "Do you require assistance?"

"I'm broken…" the woman whispered, continuing to stare past the Servant, as if she couldn't really see him, or rather, as if she couldn't bring herself to see him "I'm a failure."

Avenger blinked, his eyes going wide, only to narrow as a memory flashed through his mind, of how Morgan had mocked him, belittled him, had claimed Arturia would never accept him. She had been wrong, oh so wrong, for while he'd been ashamed to face his sire in this time, Arturia had no such compulsions, and had readily accepted him as her 'son' during their reunion, even going so far as to embrace him.

It had been a dream come true, and Avenger had been unashamed of the tears that fell as he returned her embrace, but even to this day, he feared it had been no more than a dream, his memories of his mother's bitter words darkening his nightmares.

Now, hearing this woman, who was older than he'd been, physically anyway, when he'd died, referring to herself as such, sparked all the anger he'd felt back then, though now it was directed not at his parents, but at whoever had caused the woman to see herself as such.

"Can you stand?" he asked, scowling as she ignored him, reaching out to grab her shoulders, forcing her to look at him "Can you hear me?" he asked, waiting for her to nod before continuing "Can you stand? Can you walk?"

She blinked, gazing at him with her dazed brown eyes, as if seeing him for the first time, before nodding once, her features as dazed as ever. "Good…" Avenger muttered, releasing her shoulders, helping her to her feet, pointedly avoiding looking down at her legs, as the shirt did little to cover her lower half "Give me your coat."

The woman complied, shrugging off the blood-stained lab coat and handing it to him, not even reacting as he stepped behind her, following his instructions as he helped her put it on properly, tying it in the front so that it hid her lower half, though her breasts were still visible.

"That will have to do for now…" he muttered, sighing as he knelt to pick up his bags, only to flinch as he espied her bare feet, "Help me carry these bags to the exit, we can hail a cab once we're out."

The woman said nothing, she merely scooped up half the bags of groceries, continuing to stare at the fallen knight, even as she followed him out of the park, ignoring the looks they were receiving from the rest of the occupants.

* * *

_Itoshikisou, Herwald's appartment... _

When Herwald felt Musubi's lips on his, his first instinct was to clamber away from her, but for some reason, his body didn't seem to want to respond to his brain. So he continued to sit there, his emerald eyes wide with surprise, only to twitch as he felt his circuits activate of their own volition, the Od within his body decreasing slightly.

It was a barely noticeable amount, and Herwald doubted he would've noticed it at all were it not for the fact his alchemical training required precise control over his magic. As it were, the amount being drained was negligible, barely enough to power a weak transmutation, though the fact he could feel it passing through his lips and into Musubi was startling.

'Could she be feeding off my magic?' he wondered, part interested, part unnerved by the idea, only to blink as what appeared to be a crest emerged from the girl's back, though he got no further as Musubi leant back, breaking their kiss as she wrapped her arms around herself, letting out a sensual moan as wings of purest light erupted from her back, arching away from her, filling the entire room with their radiance, before curling forward to wrap the pair almost protectively in their embrace.

'Ein...angel?' Herwald exclaimed, unable to comprehend what he was seeing, only to calm down as the light began to fade, the wings vanishing once again, Musubi sitting back on her knees, her eyes opening to regard the stunned alchemist with overflowing happiness.

"Forever and ever…" the shrine girl whispered, smiling at him lovingly "I'm so glad…I finally found my Ashikabi…"

"Wha-?" Herwald stammered, blinking at the girl in confusion, only to jolt as the door to the apartment was kicked in, the pair looking up to see Avenger standing in the doorway, dressed in his armour and sword in hand.

"You harlot…" the fallen knight swore, and Herwald swore he could FEEL the anger in the Servant's emerald gaze through his visor "Get away from my master, now!"

_"Calm down Avenger!"_ Herwald exclaimed, holding out a hand to calm his servant, placing himself between the Fallen Knight and Musubi, who was looking highly confused by the whole ordeal _"It's alright!"_

_"Herwald?"_ Avenger wondered, pulling up short as he suddenly found his master standing between him and his intended target _"What are you doing?"_

_"That's what I want to know."_ Herwald demanded, looking at the Knight pointedly _"What zur Hölle did you kick the door down for?"_

_"I sensed something happening to your magic through our link."_ Avenger admitted, tilting his helmeted head towards Musubi as he spoke "I_t felt like something was draining it, so I raced up here to investigate…"_

_"Please tell me you didn't transform in public…"_ Herwald muttered, only to sigh in relief as the Fallen Knight shook his head "Thank heavens for small mercies…" he muttered, switching back to japanese "Did you get the groceries?"

"Ah…" a low voice called out, the trio looking up to see a tall, grey-haired figure standing in the doorway holding several bags of groceries in her arms, a dazed expression on her face.

"Avenger…" Herwald called out hesitantly, looking at his Servant out the corner of his eye, even as he stared at the woman in the doorway "Who's your friend?"

Before the Knight could answer, two loud roars tore through the apartment, Herwald and Avenger's eyes widening as they gaped at the dazed looking woman, whose cheeks were now tinged with a slight hint of pink, though her features remained the same. "Ah…" she exclaimed, almost as if she'd just now remembered something important "I'm hungry…"

Before Herwald could respond, another growl, albeit quieter than the before, emerged from Musubi's stomach, the shrine girl blushing as she rubbed the back of her head. "Eheheh…sorry, Herwald-san…" she offered, twiddling her fingers together shyly "But do you think I could get something else to eat?"

"Sure…" Herwald muttered, shaking his head, thoroughly bewildered as Avenger helped the other woman into the house, taking the bags of takeout from her and stepping towards the microwave "Why not?"

* * *

_One meal later..._

In the end, after watching the pair devour the takeout, along with a good portion of the recently purchased groceries, the unlikely quartet found themselves sitting at the table, Herwald having used his Alchemy to restore the door while Avenger attended to their guests, paying particular attention to their grey-haired guest, whose name was Akitsu apparently, who seemed to be watching the Servant just as much as he was watching Her.

Herwald had initially been suspicious of the woman, how could he not, considering her clothes were covered in blood, but when you took into account Avenger's story of how he'd found her, and her own, dazed, almost drugged actions as she took in her surroundings, and the Einzbern was willing to give her the benefit of the doubt.

"Here you go…" he offered, placing four cups of green tea on the table, taking a seat across from Musubi and Akitsu, who regarded it carefully before taking a sip, seeming surprised at how warm it was "Now then…you say you and Akitsu-san here are Sekirei?"

"That's right!" Musubi chirped, raising her hand in the air, causing her breasts to bounce enticingly once again "I'm No.88, a Fist Type Sekirei!"

"I see…" Herwald noted, filing that away for later intrigued despite himself, as this was the first he'd ever heard of such a race. True, this wasn't the first time he'd encountered an alien species, Arcueid Brunstud, Princes off the True Ancestors, was a Type-Moon after all, and there were reports of a Type-Mercury lurking somewhere in South America. "What about you, Akitsu? What type are you?"

Akitsu didn't respond, and for a moment Herwald thought she hadn't heard him, then he realized she was staring at her cup of tea, the Alchemist following her gaze only to find the once steaming brew had frozen over. "An Ice-type I take it…" he noted, impressed not only with how she'd managed to pull that stunt off without him noticing, but how she'd apparently done so without any change in her expression "So what is it you Sekirei are after, exactly?"

"Well you see," Musubi explained, fidgeting slightly "Once we're released from the lab, all Sekirei set out to find their Ashikabi, their destined ones."

Akitsu flinched, and seemed to draw into herself, earning a look of concern from Avenger and a frown from Herwald, though neither said anything.

"After we find our Ashikabi…" Musubi continued, heedless of her fellow Sekirei's discomfort as she clenched her fists excitedly "We all fight each other until there's only one left!"

"Wait, what?" Herwald exclaimed, blinking at the girl in alarm along with Avenger "You're telling me you start fighting each other to the death?"

"Oh! Of course not!" Musubi countered, looking shocked at the idea "It's against the rules to kill your opponent! We're supposed to stand over them until MBI recovers them too!"

'MBI again…' Herwald muttered, emerald eyes narrowing as he recalled how Musubi had spoken of the Pharmaceutical Company's 'Lab' earlier 'Could they be behind all this?'

Before he could ask the girl to elaborate, his mobile started ringing, the Einzbern sighing as he made an excuse to leave, sending a look at Avenger to keep pressing the girls for information as he went to answer it.

'Probably Sirius calling to see when I'm coming back…' he muttered, smiling wryly at the memory of his childish Godfather and his love of playing pranks as he placed the phone to his ear _"Hallo?"_

"TADA!" a voice shouted over the speaker, Herwald unleashing a string of German curses as he pulled the receiver away from his ear to recover from being nearly deafened "Congratulations!" The voice continued, an unfamiliar voice Herwald noted with some trepidation, though it seemed more civil than before "You, good sir, have become partnered with a Sekirei!"

"Who are you?" Herwald demanded, his tone cold, laced with suspicion as he narrowed his eyes at the phone "How did you get this number?"

"My, you're a suspicious one…" the man noted, sounding approving, of all things, as if this was all some delightful new development "I have to admit, it took a while to find information on you, living off the grid as you have, still, I suppose that's what makes this so much fun!"

"I'll ask you again…" Herwald growled, his brow twitching, his free hand clenching as the inexplicable desire to punch whoever was on the other end of the line swam over him "Who are you, how the hell did you get this number?"

"To the point are we?" the voice noted, and Herwald was pleased to note whoever it was seemed a little upset by his suspicion, if not unduly so "Well to answer your first question, My name is Minaka Hiroto, I'm sure you've heard the name."

"The President and CEO of Mid Bio Informatics." Herwald noted, his tone softening somewhat, though his suspicion remained. If someone as important as the founder of MBI was contacting him personally, it meant things were more serious than they seemed.

"Ding-ding-ding! Correct!" Minaka exclaimed, causing Herwald to flinch again "Glad to see you're up to date with current events, even if you're a little behind on technology." He sighed over the line "I mean honestly, who doesn't have a camera or video-function on their phone these days?"

"Someone who doesn't care for useless adornments and uses their phone for its intended purpose only." Herwald countered, his tone flat. He'd already gotten a lot of comments for his out-dated cell-phone at the college, many of them insisting that he upgrade to the latest models, but he'd refused to be tempted by their cameras and video players and internet access. To him a phone was a phone, nothing more, nor did he need it to be anything other.

"Well to each his own." Minaka sighed, as if he was already tired of the argument "I suppose to someone who lives off the grid like you do, something as out-dated like that is more of an advantage than a hindrance, Herwald von Einzbern-kun."

"How did you learn my name?" Herwald demanded, his tone sharp and cold once again, as he certainly hadn't given it to anyone outside the apartment, other than the landlord of course.

"There's nothing I DON'T know, Herwald-kun." Minaka replied, his tone coy, almost mocking, as if he'd pulled an impressive trick "But enough of that, I'm here to inform you of the Sekirei plan, the name of the game you'll be playing as of today."

"Sekirei Plan?" Herwald repeated, narrowing his eyes at the man's tone, not to mention how easily he'd avoided his earlier question "What do you mean by a game?"

"The rules are simple." Minaka continued, holding up a finger "There are 108 Sekirei loose in the capital," Herwald's eyes widened at the revelation "These Sekirei fight, and fight, and fight, and fight! And the Ashikabi of the last remaining Sekirei is given permission to ascend!"

"Ascend?" Herwald repeated, his eyes narrowing as he mulled the man's words over, hardly expecting him to elaborate "Are you trying to tell me this 'Sekirei Plan' is nothing more than a Battle Royal?"

"I wouldn't call it 'nothing more than'." Minaka huffed, sounding affronted at the very idea of someone talking down about the game he was orchestrating "It's a glorious struggle between Sekirei and Ashikabi for the grand prize, for the Ashikabi who overcomes those odds will hold the fate of the world in their hands!"

'This is beginning to sound dangerously like the Grail Wars…' Herwald muttered, grimacing as he recalled the 5th Grail War, and Voldemort's 'False' Grail War with bitter memories as he mulled over what he'd just learned 'Only with a hundred more competitors thrown into the mix.'

"What are the rules of engagement?" he demanded, intent on getting as much information on this new war he'd gotten himself into, as he'd been trained to do "I assume that all fighting is to be limited to within the city, correct? Outside the public view? What are the conditions to victory?"

"Decisive one, aren't you?" Minaka noted, and Herwald was annoyed to note that the man sounded impressed, of all things, with his questioning "However, you'll have to ask your questions to your Sekirei. It wouldn't be fair if I told you when I didn't tell any of the other Ashikabi, now would it?"

Herwald swore he could FEEL the man leering at him on the other end of the phone, and would've probably lost his cool and hung up then and there had Minaka not chosen to speak up.

"However, out of deference to your decisiveness, and the sheer challenge it took to actually get any information on you, I'll let you know this..." Minaka continued "The Sekirei Plan is something that is being kept in the strictest of confidences. As a participant you have a responsibility to keep it a secret. In the case that you leak information, MBI will retaliate against you with all the force at our disposal."

Herwald said nothing, but on the inside he breathed a sigh of relief, as thus far the rules of engagement weren't all that different from the Grail Wars, namely that combat was to be kept away from the public, in order to avoid civilian casualties.

"I'm quite busy, so I'm afraid I'll have to cut this short." Minaka stated smugly, as if taking the time out to call the alchemist was a tremendous privledge "Take care of No.88, Musubi, and who knows? Maybe it'll be YOU who welcomes the new Age of the Gods."

"I'm an atheist." Herwald countered, the adopted Einzbern's tone flat and dismissive, even as he smiled coldly at the man's gsp of surprise "I've no need for something as redundant as Gods."

So saying he hung up, cutting off Minaka's outraged sputtering, a smug smirk forming on his face as he imagined the look on the pompous CEO's face, even as he turned back to the others. "Was that the Professor?" Musubi asked, tilting her head cutely, unaware of the look of wariness Akitsu sent Herwald's way at her words "Did he ask about me?"

"In a way…" Herwald admitted, sending a look to Avenger as he took a seat next to the Servant, looking at the two Aliens before him inquisitively "But before that, why don't you tell me just what the Sekirei Plan is all about?"

* * *

And there you have it, the latest brainchild of my deviously over-sugared brain.

For those who can tell, YES, this was indeed inspired by Gabriel Blessng's 'In Flight', just like how U.A.W was inspired by 'Hill of Swords'.

However, unlike In Flight, the main protagonist isn't Shirou, nor is it Archer as it is in U.A.W, but everyone's (unless your Voldemort) favourite Alchemical weapon/boy-who-lived, Herwald von Einzbern.

As you can no doubt tell, this story will be set AFTER the canon events of Deathly Hallows, and from the few spoilers I've included in this chapter, several things have changed. However, for those of you who don't like spoilers, rest assured that this is as much of a teaser as I'm willing to give, for now, I merely put this up as it was burning a hole in my brain and as such, taking up memory space needed to work on other fics.

I'm considering holding off on posting this one until I've at least covered the rest of the canon series, but for those who wish to see it up, consider it one of Herwald's 'Routes', just like how Shirou had several Routes during the Fate Series.

For example: Sekirei Route, Familliar Route, Saint Knight Route, Crystal Tokyo route and so forth.

Note, these are just me throwing names out, no need to lose the bap people, they mean nothing unless people demand it.

I have several other ideas for Herwald planned, (and a spin-off idea for Illyasviel) though if you have a suggestion for a Route, either send me a PM or contact me on my Forum: Ficlets.

Here's to many more new adventures!


	21. Castlevania: Requiem of Zero

Yet another little idea that popped into my head.

Just putting it up to clear memory space.

Enjoy.

* * *

Castlevania: Requiem of Zero.

Standing tall against the backdrop of the Full Moon stands a menacing castle, perched atop a mountaintop like some deadly spire of darkness.

The mere sight of the towering structure was enough to break the heart of even the bravest of men. Many, upon catching a glimpse of it, took their own lives out of grief, or buried themselves so deeply in denial they would strike out at anyone who dared attempt dispel their delusions of security.

For this was Castlevania, the home and symbol of the dreaded Dark Lord Dracula, King of the Night, the undisputed master of Darkness, the undying vampire and the embodiment of all that was evil.

The Dark Lord's power was so great, so overwhelming, that many lesser creatures of darkness and those men obsessed with power were instinctively drawn to him, like moth's to a flame, pledging their eternal servitude to him.

It was a terrible time for humanity, no matter what they did, no matter how far they ran, no matter how well they hid, the evil of Dracula continued to cast a shadow over them, as if the Vampire was simply biding his time, as if they were no more than pieces he held in his palm. Many a time, someone had worked uop the nerve to fight back, to try and bring an end to the evil. All such attempts failed, again and again, until eventually, no-one was foolish enough to dare brave the path to the castle.

No-one, that is, save for a clan of vampire hunters, whose duty, no their CURSE, was to stand against Dracula's forces no matter where they might surface: theBelmontfamily.

Gifted since birth with supernatural abilities, the clan dedicated themselves to ridding the world of the forces of darkness, armed with an arsenal of weapons, skills, and knowledge they'd attained through extensive study of the creatures of the night. However, to the common man, the super-human abilities of theBelmontswere just as fearsome, if not more so, than those of Dracula's servants. After all, at least with a monster, you expect them to be able to rip a man in half, but to see a man, or what appeared to be a man, perform a similar feat, even in self-defence, was simply unnerving and unnatural to behold.

In the end, the people's fear for theBelmont's supernatural abilities led to the entire clan to be exiled from Wallachia, theBelmontssilently accepting their banishment, leaving behind the lands they had protected for generations to venture into the unknown.

* * *

_1476, Wallachia._

With no-one to stand in his way, Dracula initiated his plan to eradicate mankind and usher in a new age of darkness. The Church assembled their armies, marching them into the heart of Dracula's territory, a remote area ofTransylvaniawhere the battles were centred.

It was a massacre, the soldiers, unprepared for the forces of darkness, met defeat and were never heard from again. The Pope, backed into a corner, had no other option but to search the lands forBelmontdescendant, though sadly, over the years, the clan had diminished to the point of extinction.

Fortunately, just as things were at their darkest, good news arrived in the form of Trevor Belmont, the last remaining heir to the Belmont name having answered the call to battle, bringing with him the legendary whip, the Vampire Killer, ready to embrace his destiny.

Travelling across the darkened countryside, Trevor and his companions systematically destroyed Dracula's forces, weakening them just enough to be able to infiltrate the defences of Castlevania, the thus-impregnable fortress of Darkness, and ever-changing embodiment of chaos. Fighting their way to the inner sanctum, they finally came face to face with the Dark Lord himself, and after a bloody struggle, Trevor finally defeated his clan's hated enemy, bringing peace back to the war-torn land, fulfilling the Pope's request and finally earning the respect he and his family deserved.

However, it would turn out to be a shallow victory, for every hundred years, for some inexplicable reason, the forces of Good mysteriously start to weaken, allowing Dracula's power to revive itself once again.

With each century that passes, the Dark Lord's power grows stronger and stronger. As a result, many a cult had devoted themselves to it, their members fanatically devoted to the belief that he will cleanse the world from its sullied state and bring about a new order. So strong was their belief in his power that Dracula was certain to return after death due to his servants yearning for him.

However, no matter how many times he revives, no matter how powerful he becomes, no matter what manner of monsters he draws to his side, his sinister actions would always be faced by a descendent of Trevor Belmont, for just as they are cursed to always hunt the night, so too is he cursed to face their line until one, or the other, is at an end.

* * *

_1999..._

The Moon shone brightly through the large open windows of the throne room. Hanging from the walls and ceiling, thousands of candles, like a cluster of stars, danced in the darkness of the room, bathing the two figures in the hall in an eerie golden light.

One was a man, or what might once have been called a man, had circumstances not brought him so low. Tall and imposing, dressed in an elaborate military uniform under a black mantle, his mane of white hair done up like a judge's wig.

At any other moment, the man would have been imposing, even breath-taking, the kind of being one would suspect being carved from stone, rather than born. Even now, with his hand clasped to his bloody chest, with blood staining the edge of his mouth, and his body lying broken on the steps leading up to his throne, he retained the air of a wounded lion.

"This…cannot be…" he uttered, teeth clenched, revealing sharpened fangs as he gazed up at the ruined ceiling of his throne room, his crimson eyes burning with incomprehension and anger "I can't be losing..."

"You are…" the other figure noted, the light of the moon bathing her features as she stared down at her fallen foe "Your servants are routed, your castle in ruins, even Death has abandoned you. You are truly alone, Vampire."

The vampire said nothing, simply choosing to turn his attention towards his opponent. She was a tall woman, dressed in light armour of leather and cloth, perfect for moving quickly, whilst providing adequate protection from all but the strongest blows. In one hand, she held a bloody whip, the same whip that had left numerous gashes along the man's body, at her hip rested a sword, and several bandoliers of throwing daggers went across her chest.

And she was beautiful, like the full moon on a cloudless night. Even covered in blood, her own and the blood of the countless monsters she'd slain to get to him, even after everything he put her through, the Vampire could not deny that the woman before him was blindingly beautiful, her long black hair trailing down her back like a river of velvet, framing her beautiful features, which were set with regal purple eyes.

'Trevor's eyes…' he noted wonderingly, a small, whimsical smile adorning his features as he recalled the first Belmont to face him centuries past, recalling the noble fire and resolve that had burned within those violet orbs as they struck him down.

Such as now, his most crushing defeat, brought low by a woman, no, a girl no older than 17, yet possessed of the same inner fire that had burned within Trevor that night Centuries past.

"Hah…" the vampire scoffed, a self-mocking smile adorning his features as he closed his eyes "Brought low by a mere strip of a girl…I must be getting old."

"You were doomed the moment you cast aside your humanity." The woman replied, Dracula's eyes opening to meet her violet pair, "It must be difficult for you to understand, you who possess eternal life, but while humans are granted such a short life, in that short time we are able to love and to live for someone else."

Dracula blinked, the immortal vampire's crimson eyes widening at the emotion he saw whirling within the eyes of Trevor's Descendent. Over the centuries, he had faced those eyes countless times before, and each time he had come out the worse for wear.

Now however, those regal eyes burned not with hatred or determination, or even the typical resolve that he'd come to expect. No, what he saw in those eyes was an emotion so alien to him he could not place its name for the life of him.

"I pity you." she admitted, her tone filled with sadness "There must have been a time when you too cherished the bonds with the ones you loved. We humans are not so foolish as to throw away all of that in exchange for the power you received. There is no place in this world for the likes of you. You were already defeated when you accepted the power of the darkness."

Dracula stared at her for a moment, the Lord of Darkness and the warrior of light that had come to strike him down, and then he laughed, a soft, bloody chuckle that escaped his lips as he shook his head.

"Ah...you truly are a Belmont…." he mocked, shaking his head once more "Though perhaps you take more after Richter than Trevor, he said the same thing, when we faced one another…" he smiled sardonically at the memory of the former, hot-headed Belmont that had challenged him when he'd been revived by one of his many, many cult followers. "Always preaching, always with a sarcastic quip..."

He smiled coldly, looking up at the pitying eyes of the Belmont Descendent mockingly, refusing to be pitied by one of that cursed lineage.

"Do not let this victory go to your head, girl." He warned, his tone confident as ever as he continued to lie beaten on the floor "Trevor couldn't kill me for good, nor could Simon, Richter, nor any of your forebears before now." He smiled mockingly, even as his body began to dissolve into ash "Do you really think that you, a mere slip of a girl, can destroy me? So long as there is light in this world, Darkness will exist to oppose it. I am the ruler of that darkness, and I will rise again and again, as long as people like you are alive."

"If that is to be my fate, then I shall gladly accept it…" the Vampire Hunter countered, her features calm, laced with acceptance "I doubt we will see one another again, but in time, someone shall rise to take my place."

She stepped forward, and to Dracula's surprise, actually knelt beside him, taking one of his bloodstained hands in hers as he continued to dissolve.

"And so, I send you to your rest." she urged, her features laced not with pity, but acceptance, as she gazed into his crimson orbs "Sleep, until the day when all the evil desires of the world are exhausted, sleep, until the day your soul is saved."

Dracula stared, unable to comprehend what he was hearing, gazing up into the woeful purple eyes of theBelmontdescendent, unable to bring himself to look away, his crimson eyes gazing hungrily into her violet depths even as he faded to ash on the wind.

* * *

_Ruined Throne Room... _

"You look ghastly." A voice noted, the woman turning to see two men enter the chamber. Both were tall, with features that spoke of noble ancestry, but whereas the speaker was dressed in a red tailcoat and white trousers, complete with top hat, the other wore a blue jacket over leather breeches and riding boots. At his hip he bore a sheathed blade, while the man in red carried a cane-stick in his hand. "That was quite a performance," the man in red opined, tapping the rim of his hat with the pommel of his cane jauntily, "most fitting for the final act."

"Why did you come here?" the woman asked, her tone neutral even as the blue-clad man stepped forward to help her to her feet.

"Young Jeremiah was worried you might be contemplating something foolish." The man in red noted, his sharp eyes belying the laid-back tone of his voice as he eyed the woman, amusemsent dancing in his eyes "Like...say, letting go?"

The woman quirked her brow, turning to look at the blue-clad man, who blushed and averted his gaze in shame "Forgive me, M'lady…" he offered, sending a murderous look towards the red-clad man for putting him on the spot "I shouldn't have underestimated you."

"I DID try to tell him that it was needless to worry about your wellbeing." The older man pointed out, heedless of his comrade's ire, if anything he seemed amused by it "However, he just kept insisting he had to be by your side, in the end I relented and brought him along."

"I see." The woman noted, turning her attention from the older man to the still blushing man in blue, patting him on the shoulder with a smile "Thank you for your concern, Jeremiah, it is good to know I have friends as loyal as you to come back to."

"Milady…" Jeremiah gaped, staring at the Belmont Descendent in wonder, before dropping to one knee, his hand clenched across his chest and his head bowed in reverence "For you to consider one such as I…a mere pawn of darkness, a friend…it brings me more joy than you can imagine…"

"None of that, Jeremiah." The woman chided, her smile amused even as she helped the man to his feet "You have more than paid your debt for the crimes you once committed." She eyed him concernedly "And Kewell?"

"Dead…" Jeremiah replied, his features laced with sorrow as he gazed at the ground "He would not be reasoned with, in the end, I granted him a better death than he would've wanted." He sighed heavily "Marika will be distraught…"

"She will forgive you, in time." The red-clad man assured him, a knowing smile on his lips as he glanced down at his pocket watch, before closing it with a snap "Now ten, do come along, I do believe Sumeragi-san has gathered everything she needs for the ritual."

Jeremiah nodded, though his features remained troubled, the blue-clad man looking up as a gentle hand alighted on his shoulder, turning to face the encouraging smile of the Belmont descendent. "It is done, Jeremiah." She assured him, her tone gentle and confident "From this day on, you must live true to your own heart."

Jeremiah blinked, looking at the woman in wonderment, before his features firmed with resolve, the tall man inclining his head towards Dracula's killer before turning on his heel to follow the man in red, who paused in the doorway. "Come, m'dear." He called out, eyeing the woman from the doorway as she continued to stand by the throne "There is still work to be done, and not much time in which to do it."

"That's a strange thought, coming from you." Jeremiah noted, eyeing the elder man with a quirked brow "Are you not the master of time?"

"Perish the thought." The man scoffed, looking amused at the idea "I'm merely a traveller. One that is only half-way to his destination, unable to speak the truth, nor act upon reality, all I can do is watch the players dance about the stage."

"You see through it all, don't you?" the woman noted, a whimsical smile adorning her features even as Jeremiah eyed the man in confusion, and not a little consternation, at the enigmatic response.

"Not ALL, m'dear." the elder man countered, pressing a finger to his lips coyly as he winked at the woman "I just read between the lines is all. Now then, shall we depart?"

"A moment…" the woman insisted, looking at the man, who nodded, his eyes filled with understanding as he placed a hand on Jeremiah's back, the two men leaving her to face the ruined throne room one last time, her purple eyes taking in the site of her final battle with a sense of loss.

"Goodbye ruler of evil." The purple eyed woman offered, raising her gaze to the moon as it shone upon her features "Goodbye, O woeful Prince of Darkness."

* * *

_Later..._

"It is done." a woman in the robes of a Shinto priestess muttered, raising her head and opening her emerald eyes as the moon slowly passed in front of the sun "The sealing has ended."

"Thank God…" an exhausted voice muttered, an older looking man dressed in a JSDF uniform with a katana at his hip sighing in relief "I'm getting too old for this, I feel I can let go now, and die in peace."

"Don't talk like that, Katase-sensei." A younger man insisted, his features young, yet still decidedly sharp as he glanced at his master in concern "You can't die yet."

"There's no dishonour in dying a peaceful death, Todoh." The older man chastised, though his smile belied his strict tone "Many a man would welcome such a fate after such an ordeal."

"Speak for yourself." The red-clad man countered, his lips quirked in bemusement as he stood off to the side "I don't intend on teetering off this mortal coil any time soon."

"Nor do I." the old soldier agreed, his tone confident as he smiled at the man, patting Todoh on the shoulder as he spoke "I still have to ensure this one's up to snuff before I retire."

"I'm sure Todoh-kun will become an exemplary soldier in time." The priestess insisted, smiling regally at the younger man, who blushed and averted his eyes even as she turned to the femaleBelmont"In any case, the sealing is complete, and we can all rest easier."

"It's not over just yet…" Jeremiah countered, the blue-clad man's features grim as he gazed up at the moon, where moments before the shadow of Castlevania had stood "The Mast…Dracula was right, he will never truly be gone until we vanquish the evil in people's hearts..."

"A task more suited to Gods than men, Forgemaster." The man in red opined, his tone solemn as he regarded the woman standing off to the side "Darkness is an inherent part of human nature, it is a mark that lies deep within them. One that will not easily vanish."

"All the same." The priestess insisted, smiling regally "People are not such fools. Their hope lies in one another. They shall realize that in time. Scars will fade and be lost to memory." She clasped her hands together in prayer "Let us have faith in the morrow."

"Faith in the morrow?" the man in red mused, looking intrigued "Those are fine words indeed, though I fear they mean little to ME." He tilted his hat roguishly "As one who travels through time, I see the morrow a bit differently."

Todoh scowled, the young man going for the katana at his side, only for his master's hand to come down on his shoulder, the elder man sending his protégé a sharp look to keep him from doing anything foolish.

"However," the man in red spoke up, his tone equal parts amused and approving as he smiled at the group "I will concede that the flow of time has stabilized at last." He smiled cryptically at them all as he pulled out his pocket watch "For myself, I think I will go far into the future and see what awaits. There is one great battle yet to be fought…" he smiled roguishly at his companions "Perhaps they will remember your fight…Or perhaps it will start anew."

So saying, he tipped his hat to his comrades, before turning on his heel, stepping into vanishing into a portal that appeared out of thin air and vanishing from view.

"As ever that man vexes me to no end…" Jeremiah muttered, the blue-clad man scowling at the spot their comrade had vacated in annoyance "Speaking in riddles, leaving questions unanswered, tis like a game to him."

"On that note, we can agree, Lord Forgemaster." Katase muttered, the old soldier releasing his grip on Todoh's shoulder, his protégé continuing to scowl at the spot where the enigmatic man had vanished while his master turned to the others "What now, Vampire Hunter? Where will you go?"

"I suppose I'll seek some hidden place where I can live in peace." The Belmont descendent opined, smiling whimsically as she stared at the night sky "Would you care to join me, Jeremiah?"

"But of course." Jeremiah insisted, looking honestly moved that she would make such an offer as he bowed his head, one hand over his heart "I will forever be your Servant, Milady."

"You are more than welcome to remain here with us at the Sumeragi shrine." The priestess insisted, smiling at foreign woman hopefully. "We have plenty of room, and I would hate to never see you again."

"While the offer is tempting, I fear I must turn you down." The older woman countered, smiling at her friend gratefully "Though I may return one day," she noted, a hand going to her stomach "I should like my children to experience such beauty at least once in their lives."

* * *

Good God where do i keep getting these ideas? In any case, here's my latest foray into crossover pairings, in this case, a Code Geass & Castlevania Crossover.

Lelouch: Thank God I'm not in it.

Kyugan: What makes you say that?

Lelouch: Well aside from the fact I was mentioned AT ALL throughout the entire thing?

Kyugan: Who says you weren't?

Lelouch: What?

Kyugan: This was the PROLOGUE man, the events that take place BEFORE the actual game.

Lelouch: You don't mean...

Kyugan: Looks like he's figuring it out. In any case, this will be a cross with Aria of Sorrow, the GBA game. As some of you might have guessed, due to the events of the 'Demon Castle War' not being covered, I took some liberties with the prologue, combining elements of the non-canon Castlevania Legends with elements of Castlevania: Curse of Darkness.

C.C: Interesting.

Kyugan: As some of you might have guessed, the Belmont Descendent in the Prologue is, in fact, Lelouch's Mother, Marianne Lamperouge.

Lelouch: WHAT!

Kyugan: As such, she essentially followed the plot of 'Legends', in other words, she was the 'sonia' of the story.

Dracula: Non-Canon my undead ass!

Kyugan: Jeremiah, as some might have guessed, is the 'Hector' of the tale, namely a Devil Forgemaster that, at some point, swore his loyalty to Marianne after betraying Dracula.

Jeremiah: FOR LADY MARIANNE!

Kyugan: His story is ostensibly the same as Hector's in CoD, he rebelled against Dracula, lived a peaceful life, then some asshole came and killed his woman, so he came back to kick ass.

C.C: Which means that Kewell Soressi was the 'Issac' of the story, and his sister Marika was 'Julia' then?

Kyugan: Indeed, though unlike in CoD, no possession of corpses for reviving Dracula.

C.C: I see, so you essentially merged the two then.

Kyugan: Yup, as you can also see, we have the Kururugi Shrine, which plays a role later. And the Priestess we saw is Kaguya-chan's mama. Just imagine she looks like the adult Kaguya from the new Code Geass spin-off, Shikkoku no Rennya.

Kaguya: Mama was so pretty.

Kyugan: That she was, we also have teen-todoh *About mid to late teens, about Suzaku's age in R2* and a slightly younger General Katase, who served as Sumeragi-sama's guards during this caper. Not too far-etched since Todoh plays bodyguard to Genbu, Kaguya and Kirihara in the mangas.

Todoh: General Katase was a great man. I learned much from him.

Kyugan: I won't say who assumed the role of 'St. Germain' in this, save that for later, but a 'St. Germain' may appear in a more prominent role in the fic, just not the one seen here.

C.C: My my, this looks interesting.

Kyugan: Doesn't it? And finally, I'm sure we can all imagine precisely WHO was Dracula this time round? Which makes for a VERY interesting Plot Twist.

Lelouch: *Reading the script* Oh HELL no...

Kyugan: Shut it. In any case, for the purposes of convenience, this fic is set in a world that's as close to the Castlevania timeline as possible. As such, there's no 'Holy Britannian Empire', no 'Areas', the only aspects that change is the characters and certain events.

Llyod: Aw...no Knightmares?

Kyugan: They replaced Innocent Devils.

Lloyd: Huzzah!

The Story mainly follows that of Aria of Sorrow: Lelouch and Nunnally (who is neither blind nor crippled) are visiting the Kururugi shrine. Marianne is either dead or on a 'business trip', so they're left to the care of Genbu Kururugi, just as in canon.

Kaguya: So pretty much what our childhood was like, only Nuna-chan isn't injured any more!

Kyugan: Indeed. Also, as a result of the differing timeline, and Jeremiah taking his duties as servant seriously, Lelouch is a little 'healthier' than he was in canon.

C.C: Devil Forgemaster/Vampire Hunter training for the win.

Kyugan: As such, Lelouch and Suzaku's friendship is a little more rivalry than in canon, since Nunally wasn't around for them to bond over. (They only really made firends when he helped save her in the manga) In other words, your normal everyday teenage guys who've been brought up to fight monsters of the night.

Lelouch: So I'm not going to have to Geass a bitch?

Kyugan: 'fraid not. Though that doesn't mean you won't fight it out eventually.

Kyugan: And now the hard part, casting. I've pretty much decided that Lelouch is set to be the 'Soma Cruz' of the fic. Let's face it, he has to be.

Lelouch: God dammit when did I become your fic-whore?

Kyugan: For the 'Mina' I'm torn between Nunnaly or Kaguya. Let's face it, Mina's family sealed the evil away, so having Kaguya around is a given. But Lelouch needs a reason to venture into Castlevania, and what better reason than his little sister being kidnapped. As such, the 'Mina' role will be divided, in that Kaguya is the priestess needed to reseal the castle, and Nunnally is Lelouch's reason for venturing into Castlevania in the first place.

Nunnally: Sorry Big brother.

Kyugan: Graham, aka the man who wished he was Dracula, is a more difficult person to place. I need someone that wouldn't be adverse to claiming Dracula's power, but am limited by the '1999' motif behind the series. Either I ignore that entirely and go with one of Dracula's 'children', in which case we have Schniezel or Clovis to fill the gap, or we keep it in and go with someone born the same year as Lelouch, in which case Castor or Pollux may mke an appearance.

C.C: Huh, that's right, you WERE born in 1999.

Kallen: So that explains the love of ascots and capes...

Lelouch Why you...

Kyugan: Next up is the Yoko Belnades of the series. In Aria of Sorrow, Yoko only really interacted with Soma in cutscenes, where she was teasing and helpful at the same time. I was thinking Milly for this Role, after all, the Ashfords and the Lamperouge Family share a simillar bond as the Belnades and the Belmonts.

Milly: Watch out Lulu, or I'll put a spell on you.

Lelouch: If it's as about as effective as your 'GUTS!' spell I've nothing to fear.

Kyugan: For Genya Arikado, or the 'Alucard' of the series, I'm thinking of either bringing back 'St. Germain' or using Zero, in other words, the man that Lelouch will one day become.

Zero: Hurray for Time paradoxes.

EMIYA: Word.

Kyugan: Then we come to the 'Julius Belmont' of the fic. Now don't get me wrong, Belmonts are awesome, but since Lelouch technically counts as one since his mother was a Belmont Descendent, that rules out the need for another. As such, I will either make Zero an amalgamation of Arikado and Julius, or have Suzaku assume Julius' role, if only for the sake of writing in a Lelouch vs. Suzaku fight.

Suzaku: Why do you hate me so?

Kyugan: You KNOW why. And finally, we turn our attention to the last role available: Hammer. Admittedly, he plays a VERY minor role in the story, only speaking whenever you visit the 'shop' he sets up at the etrance hall, but he's still got some corny lines. If anyone has any ideas for this one, or if they'd rather I just write the character out entirely, let me know, I'd appreciate it.

That said, let's see what the reviewers think of this idea. Love it? Hate it? Let me know in a review!


	22. Code Skull: Memories of a Fairy Tail

Another idea that resulted from too much tokusatsu whilst sacrificing sleep time. Enjoy!

* * *

Code Skull: Memories of a Fairy Tail.

"Don't get the wrong idea." Lucy countered, her tone stern as she glared at Salamander, her hand still wet from where she'd slapped aside the drugged wine "I only want to get into Fairy Tail! I've no intention of becoming your girlfriend!"

"What can one do with a girl like you?" Salamander sighed, the Fire Wizard shrugging offhandedly, looking up at the blonde to reveal a mocking leer on his once handsome face "If you'd only allowed yourself to be drugged, this wouldn't have had to hurt."

"Eh?" Lucy blinked, a shiver of premonition racing up her spine at the man's sudden, sinister change in attitude, the aspiring Celestial Wizard letting out a cry of surprise as two pairs of large hands grabbed her by the arms, the girl looking over her shoulder in alarm to see a horde of rough looking men behind her "What's going on here?" she demanded, shivering at their perverse, mocking leers "Who are you people?"

"Welcome aboard my SLAVE ship." Salamander called out, the fire mage stepping forward, cupping Lucy's chin in his hand as he leant in, his mocking leer inches from her face "And as captain, it is my duty to inform you that, as a 'guest', you are to behave yourself until we get to the country of Bosco."

"BOSCO?" Lucy exclaimed, the aspiring Celestial Wizard's eyes widening in alarm at the revelation even as Salamander's musclemen laughed at her expense "Wait! What about Fairy Tail?"

"Didn't I tell you?" Salamander chuckled, shaking his head at her naivety "This is a SLAVE Ship." He leered at the girl like she was a prime cut of meat on display "I only lured you here because you were valuable merchandise."

'This can't be happening!' Lucy exclaimed, looking down at the ground in horror as she realized what an idiot she'd been 'What's with this guy? I never figured him to be THIS bad!'

"Hm?" Salamander wondered, reaching out and removing Lucy's keys from the chain hidden under her dress "Gatekeys…" he mused, eyeing the glistening portal openers with a hint of bored interest "So she's a Celestial Wizard…"

"A what?" one of the larger, certainly the baldest, of Salamander's thugs muttered, frowning as he cocked his head to the side "You know we don't understand your magical mumbo-jumbo Boss…"

"It's nothing to worry about." Salamander assured the bald giant, scoffing as he turned on his heel, twirling the ring of keys on his pointer finger lazily "Only those party to the contract can use these." He explained smirking as he came to a halt by one of the open port windows "So since they're useless to me…"

He flicked his finger sending the ring of keys flying towards the open window, smirking at Lucy as the girl glared at him helplessly through her tears, before picking up a metal bar that one of his lackeys held out to him. "The first thing we do with all our new slaves is Brand them…" he informed her casually, as if talking about the weather, his hand glowing as he used his flame magic to heat up the end of the brand until it was red hot, Lucy instinctively pulling back at the sound "It might sting a bit, but just grit your teeth and bear it, and it'll all be over soon."

"Are these the things a Fairy Tail Wizard does?" Lucy demanded, glaring at Salamander through her tears even as the fire mage advanced on her with his brand "Using Forbidden Magic, deceiving the helpless, turning them into slaves? That's the lowest a Wizard can sink!"

"Money makes the world go round." Salamander replied, a mocking sneer on his face as he readied the brand so it was aimed right above her breasts "And a smart little thing like you will fetch quite a hefty sum-!"

Before he could finish his sentence, something heavy smashed through the roof of the cabin, the thugs letting out cries of alarm as wood and splinters rained down on them, Lucy managing to slip free from her captors during the confusion, though the cloud of smoke made slipping away impossible without bumping into someone.

"What the hell was that?" Salamander snapped, the Fire mage waving the blazing brand around to clear the air, catching one of his unfortunate lackeys across the face with the burning hot metal "Dammit! What's going on?"

A gust of salt-laden air blew through the cabin, dissipating the smoke and revealing a hunched figure crouching under the hole in the ceiling. As the cloud of dust cleared, it revealed a familiar head of shocking pink hair, Lucy's eyes widening in shock as she recognised the boy from earlier that day, the one who'd snubbed Salamander's autograph.

"You're that kid from earlier…" Salamander noted, quickly recovering his nerve as he sneered at the boy mockingly "Kid, don't you know it's bad manners to board someone's personal yacht without permission?"

The boy didn't answer, simply glaring at the older man, who began to sweat at the heat coming off the youth's eyes. Then the floor rocked due to a wave, and the tension was lost as the kid struggled to keep from retching "I feel sick…"

"That's the least coolest thing I've ever seen!" Lucy exclaimed, a sentiment shared by Salamander and the rest of his crew, who took wary steps away from the kid as he dropped to his knees.

"Good grief, getting me all worried like that…" Salamander muttered, glaring at the teen in disgust even as he glanced up at the hole he'd left in his cabin ceiling "Still, how the hell did he get here? Did he fall out of the sky or something?"

"Aye!" a voice called out, the groups eyes bulging out of their sockets at the sight of a little blue cat hovering in mid-air on a pair of angel-like wings "Natsu jumped before I could land, despite the fact he gets seasick easily."

"Is he some sort of idiot?" Lucy wondered, trying not to wonder how the hell a cat could be talking, let alone flying, "Anyway, you have to get help! This guy's a slave trader! He's trying to take the gurls here to Bosco to sell them off!"

"Shut it!" Salamander snapped, sending a plume of fire at the girl, only to curse as the blue cat swooped down and snagged her into the air, Lucy's cries of shock disappearing out the impromptu skylight as the flying feline took to the air "Blast it all! Shoot them out of the sky!"

"GO FASTER!" Lucy shrieked, the blonde holding onto the cats tail for dear life as it flitted past the bullets like a furry, feathered jet fighter "Get us to the port! We can alert the authorities!"

"I can't…" the cat countered, Lucy looking up at him to demand why just as his wings fanished in a puff of smoke "Because my transformation just wore off."

"YOU STUPID CAT!" Lucy shrieked, the Celestial Mage tumbling towards the water below.

* * *

_Inside the ship... _

"Did I get her?" one of the thugs wondered, peering down at the dark waters below for any sign of Lucy or the cat, cursing the darkness for obscuring their bodies from view "I think we got her boss."

"A shame…she was just my type." Salamander sighed, a mocking smile on his face as he peered at the hole in his cabin ceiling "Oh well, I was thinking of having a skylight put in, you know how chicks love to gaze at the stars."

The thugs snickered, while off to the side boy from earlier glared at him, his features pale as he tried to force down the seasickness and motion sickness that were otherwise keeping him from wringing the man's neck.

"Fairy…Tail…" he muttered, his eyes locked on Salamander's face, fists clenching as he tried to pull himself to his feet "You…won't let you…"

"Hm? You're still here?" Salamander wondered, peering down at the youth with a dismissive expression, as if the boy wasn't worth his full attention "Too bad, if you were a girl I'd just slap a slave brand on you and be done with it…" he pulled a rectangular object from under his cloak "But I've no need for boys. Especially not ones that have seen my face."

Just as he was about to unleash his magic however, the whole ship suddenly lurched to its side, the crew, and the guests, screaming out in terror as a massive wave struck the side of the ship, lifting it out of the water and carrying it back to Hargeon harbour.

* * *

_Outside..._

"WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU THINKING?" Lucy snarled, the blonde Celestial mage shaking her fist at the object of her ire, Aquarius, a mermaid with blue hair carrying an urn, as she sat on the deck of Salamander's ship, having been washed ashore along with the vessel and Happy, who lay face down on the deck beside her "WHAT KIND OF CELESTIAL SPIRIT WASHES THEIR MASTER ALONG WITH THE TARGET!"

"Dammit…I was careless…" Aquarius muttered, the water bearer grimacing as she palmed her face as if in exasperation "The boat got in the way and got washed ashore along with you."

"YOU MEAN YOU WERE AIMING AT ME FROM THE START?" Lucy yelled, the blonde Celestial Wizard glaring at the mermaid, anger and a hint of betrayal in her eyes. While Aquarius was one of the strongest of the Golden Zodiac, certainly the strongest spirit in her arsenal, she was also the most temperamental, and never hesitated to put Lucy in harms way, though she was careful to never do anything that would outright injure or kill her summoner, as to do so would violate the laws of the Celestial Spirit world, and while Aquarius was arrogant and self-serving, she wasn't so arrogant as to believe herself above the laws of the Celestial Spirit King.

"Whatever, don't call me for a while." Thr Water bearer ordered, outright ignoring her contractor's ire as she faded away of her own volition "I'm taking a week-long vacation with my boyfriend…" she smirked at the blonde "That's right, MY BOYFRIEND."

"I heard you the first time!" Lucy snapped, the blonde fuming helplessly as the arrogant spirit returned to the Celestial Spirit world, leaving her soaking wet and fuming "That woman is so selfish! It makes me want to scream!"

"You two don't seem to have the best relationship, do you?" the cat noted, having regained consciousness at some point during the blonde's rant, idly wringing out the green napkin it wore as a backpack as it spoke.

"What was your first clue?" Lucy shot back caustically, only to sigh, knowing it was better not to dwell on Aquarius for too long, it'd give her wrinkles if she kept getting worked up over the spirit's arrogance all the time "Whatever, in any case we made it." She muttered, peering over the rail at the town, where several of the townspeople had gathered to survey the damage "With all the fuss they're making down there, they're sure to bring in the army! This'll save those girls for sure!" she clasped her hands together in glee "I can't believe what a considerate woman I am!"

"I'm going to go check on Natsu…" the cat spoke up, causing Lucy to slump at how readily she'd been ignored "Now that we've stopped moving he's sure to be feeling better."

He trailed off as one of Salamander's thugs came flying through the wall, his cheek moulded into the shape of a fist as he sailed through the air, trailing blood and teeth in his wake, the sounds of gratuitous violence echoing from inside the chamber.

"Yup, he's feeling better alright." The cat noted, clearly at ease with the situation, while Lucy was understandably alarmed by the noises coming from inside the room, the Celestial Mage following the cat in just in time to see the boy, Natsu, bitch-slapping one of Salamander's thugs aside with a snarl.

"You say you're a member of Fairy Tail?" the berry head demanded, advancing on the startled Bora, his hand lashing out to smash another two thugs into the walls "Well I'm Natsu of FAIRY TAIL!" he declared, Lucy's eyes widening at the red guild tattoo on his right shoulder "And I ain't never seen your ugly mug in my life!"

"Fairy Tail?" Lucy exclaimed, her eyes widening in shocked recognition as they landed on the guild tattoo on the teen's shoulder "Natsu is a Fairy Tail wizard?"

"That mark…!" one of Salamander's thugs cried out, gaping at Natsu's shoulder as the teen advanced on them "It's the real thing, Mister Bora!"

"Y-YOU IDIOT!" Salamander snapped, glaring at the offending crony with a hint of angry fear in his tone "Don't use that name!"

"Bora…" Happy muttered, the blue cat looking up with a frown at the name "A few years ago, a man called Bora the Prominence was expelled from the Titan Nose Wizard Guild…"

"I heard about that!" Lucy exclaimed, glaring at Salamander, or rather, Bora, angrily "He was expelled for repeatedly using magic to aid in thievery!"

"You could be good or evil…" Natsu muttered, his every step seeming to echo as he advanced on Bora the Prominence "It makes no difference to me, But I'm not gonna let you slander the name of Fairy Tail!"

"STOP WITH THE STUPID SPEECHES YOU LITTLE BRAT!" Bora mocked, raising his hands in the air and launching a pillar of fire at the berry-head "PROMINENCE TYPHOON!"

"No!" Lucy cried out, the Celestial mage stepping forward out of concern for the boy, only to be blocked by the cat, the pair of them looking on as the boy was consumed by fire, the rest of the girls, who'd been loitering around in confusion, making a run for it at the first sign of smoke.

* * *

_As the fire burns..._

"Damn…" Bora cursed, the so-called 'salamander' eyeing the flames in distaste, "Losing my cool because of some loud little brat…" he scoffed mockingly "Ah well, it leaves a bad taste, but let this be a lesson to you-!"

"You ain't kidding…" Natsu called out, Lucy and Bora's eyes widening as they gaped at the flames, where a blazing silhouette was visible, "I've never tasted fire this bad before…" the Berry Head elaborated, Bora's features shifting to a mask of horror as the boy stepped into view, chewing on the flames like they were cotton candy "Seriously, are you sure you're a fire Wizard?"

"Wha-wha-wha-WHAT THE HELL IS THIS GUY?" Bora demanded, the outlaw Wizard looking at the berry-head in horror as Natsu devoured the last of the flames, the berry head wiping his mouth with the back of his hand.

"Still…thanks for the meal I guess." Natsu offered mockingly, before punching his fists together with a cocky smirk on his face "As payment, lemme show you how a REAL Fire Wizard does it!"

"Mister Bora!" one of the fraud's conspirators called out, pointing at Natsu in sudden, horrified recognition "I've seen that guy before!" he trembled as his eyes began to tear up with fear "That pink hair! That scarf with the scale like pattern!" his eyes widened in horror as Natsu's brought his hands up to his mouth, as if blowing glass "No doubt about it! He's the real-!"

"KARYU NO HOUKO!" Natsu yelled, exhaling into his fists, a controlled stream of fire erupting from the makeshift pipe, barrelling into Bora and his surviving lackeys, sending the latter flying in all directions.

"Salamander…" Lucy breathed, the Celestial Mage looking on in wonderment as Natsu followed up the attack by blasting forwards, smashing his blazing fist into Bora's face, sending the charlatan crashing into the floor "He eats fire…punches with fire…can this even be called magic?"

"A dragon's lungs exhale fire, a dragon's scales dissolve fire and a dragon's talons are engulfed in fire." Happy explained "This is an enchantment that transforms one's body and gives it the aspects of a Dragon's, of course it was originally developed as a counter-weapon against dragons…" he nodded proudly as Natsu took flight, smashing several thugs into the air "Natsu's a Dragonslayer! And Igneel taught him all he knows!"

"Don't you find it weird that a DRAGON would teach somebody to SLAY dragons?" Lucy asked, turning to look at the cat in wonderment, only to sigh as he pointed at her in sudden realization, as if only seeing the sense in those words now "Forget it…" she muttered, the blonde turning to looking on in awe, and a little terror if she were honest with herself, as Natsu tore the harbour apart in his rampage "No wait, isn't that going overboard?"

"Aye!" Happy agreed, earning an irate glare from the blonde, only for them to tense as the rubble shifted, Bora rising from the ruins, his features bruised and sooty from Natsu's final attack.

"You little punk…" the faux salamander muttered, the words slurred due to the bruise on the side of his mouth, one eye swollen shut, though the other burned with an intense hatred "You'll pay for that."

"Give it a rest you faker…" Natsu called out, his tone more annoyed than angry, having clearly vented most of his frustration on the man "You saw for yourself, fire magic doesn't work on me…" he scoffed as he wiped his mouth with the back of his hand "Not that you're much of one anyways…"

"You little…" Bora snarled, the anger in his eyes growing as he reached into his cloak, pulling out a strange, rectangular red object that seemed to be covered with bones "You think you're hot stuff huh?" he sneered, raising his sleeve to reveal a strange tattoo "Then lets see what happens when we turn up the heat!"

**"MAGMA!"** the device declared as Bora placed it against his tattoo, Lucy, Natsu and Happy looking on in shock as the slave dealer burst into flames, Natsu stepping in front of Lucy to protect her from the heat.

"What the hell?" he wondered, covering his face to shield his eyes from the intense light coming off the man, his eyes narrowing as his form began to shift "The hell's going on?"

As the trio looked on, Bora's form began to shift, his clothes vaporizing into dust as his body seemed to grow outwards, becoming taller, more muscular, the heat and light emanating from it growing by the second. With a roar, he spread his arms wide, the flames dissipating somewhat to reveal a monster where once stood a man, a monster that seemed to be composed entirely of fire, save for its torso, feet, hands and face, which were black and lined with glowing red veins, like cooling lava.

"W-W-W-WHAT THE HELL IS THAT THING?" Lucy shrieked, the blonde clutching the cat by its neck and shaking it like a ragdoll, understandably terrified by this latest development.

"I don't know!" Happy wailed, the poor cat hugging Lucy back, his blue fur standing on end as he gaped at the monster that was once Bora "I've never heard of anything like this!"

**"DIE!" **the monster yelled, letting out a burst of flame from it's body, Lucy and Happy crying out in alarm, only for Natsu to step in front of them, the Dragonslayer inhaling the oncoming wave of fire in one breath.

"Blech…" he muttered, grimacing as he wiped the back of his mouth in distaste "I take it back, this stuff's way worse than the fire you used before…" he smirked at the monster "Still, it doesn't matter what form you take, fire doesn't work on me!"

**"Then why don't we try something else?"** the monster countered, it's voice a mocking echo of Bora's confident sneer, laced with madness and some unknown emotion, the monster rearing back it's fist before punching the ground, Natsu's eyes widening as he was forced to dodge a geyser of what appeared to be molten rock.

"Is that…Lava?" Lucy stammered, the blonde staring at the spot Natsu had recently vacated with a look of alarm as the molten rock spread across the harbour, the tiles cracking audibly under the heat.

**"You might be able to eat fire…Salamander**…" the Bora-monster called out, Natsu looking up to see it glowing brighter and hotter than ever **"But even you can't stomach THIS dish!"**

"Says you!" Natsu shot back, the Dragonslayer leaping forwards, intent on challenging the monster head on as he had before, only to yelp as more mini-eruptions forced him to backpedal to avoid being covered in lava "Dammit! Fight fair!"

**"What's wrong Salamander?" **the monster sneered, stamping its feet as it advanced on the teen, sending another wave of magma after the Dragonslayer "**Can't stand the heat?"**

"Bite me!" Natsu snarled, drawing in another huge breath, this time not bothering to make the hand gesture as he opened his mouth to unleash a punishing stream of fire "KARYUU NO HOUKO!"

* * *

_To the side..._

"He got him!" Lucy cheered, the blonde looking on expectantly as the stream of fie engulfed the monster, only to gape in horror as the monster continued to advance despite the flames, reaching out with one blackened hand to grab Natsu by the face, the Dragonslayer scream of pain accompanied by the stench of burning flesh "Natsu!"

**"Don't you get it Salamander?"** the monster mocked, ignoring the berry-head's struggled as it continued to hold him off the ground **"I'm made of Magma! Molten Rock so hot it can even ABSORB fire! All your little attacks have done is made me STRONGER!"**

"Let him go!" Lucy yelled, moving to grab her keys, only to yelp as the monster stamped his foot, forcing her to dodge another mini eruption.

**"I'll deal with you later…"** the monster promised, the tone equal parts mocking and lecherous as it continued to hold Natsu off the ground **"In the meantime…I'm going to teach this brat a lesson in manners-!"**

Shots rang out in rapid succession, the monster crying out in alarm as they impacted against his body, forcing it to release Natsu, who fell to the ground, his face blackened where the monster had grabbed him. **"Who the hell?" **the monster snarled, glaring around at the surrounding docks, which were littered with the remains of it and Natsu's battle **"Who's out there?"**

"Bora the Prominence…." a cold voice called out, Lucy shivering at the tone, which reminded her of a horror novel she'd read once, turning to peer over her shoulder to see a silhouette standing in a darkened alley "You used your gifts to aid in thievery…" used illegal magic to sway impressionable young women, only to sell them into slavery…all while masquerading as an official Guild Wizard…"

**"So what of it**?" the monster that was Bora demanded, sounding equal parts unnerved and annoyed by the sudden interference **"Are you with the Council?"**

"I'm not with the council…" the figure replied, stepping out of the alley to reveal a tall man, it sounded like a man anyways, dressed in a skin-tight black outfit with silver lining around the wrists and ankles and silver marks in the shape of a ribcage on his chest with a tattered white scarf around his neck. What was most intimidating about the man was his face, or rather his lack of one, for it was concealed behind a helmet in the shape of a silver skull, over which he wore a white fedora.

"My name is Kamen Rider Skull…" the Skull Man called out, Lucy shivering as she heard the distinct sounds of bats and guitar strings in the background "And I'm here to count up your sins…"

**"Count this!"** the monster roared, sending a wave of fire at the Skull Man, only for him to leap over it, Lucy's eyes widening as he cleared the pillar of fire, coming down to land a vicious right cross to the monster's face, sending it flying backwards.

"Tch…" he muttered, staring at his fist, which was smoking slightly from where it had come into contact with the monster's flaming hide "As expected of the Magma Memory…getting in close is a bad idea…"

**"I'LL FILLET YOU FOR THAT!"** The Magma monster snarled, sending another wave of magma towards the Skull Man, who leapt back, easily making it onto the roof of a nearby building, one hand securing his fedora to his helmet.

"If getting in close won't work…" he muttered, his hand coming up to reveal a blue rectangular object "Then I'll just have to take you down from afar!"

**"TRIGGER!"** the device declared, the Skull Man slotting it into a device on his hip before holding up his hand, a strange handgun materializing in his grasp as he promptly opened fire on the monster.

**"Useless!"** the Magma monster sneered, holding its arms out wide as if inviting it's opponent to shoot it down **"A peashooter like that won't do anything to me!"**

"I'll just have to switch ammo then…" Skull countered, drawing a second rectangular device, this one green, and slotting it into the handgun, raising the barrel and opening fire once more. THIS time, however, the bullets appeared to be made of compressed air, which slammed into the monster, sending it staggering back, it's flames dying down with each impact.

**"Wha…what the hell is this**?" the monster yelped, dropping to its knees, it's flesh a dull orange as the flames flickered feebly **"My body…it's cooling down!"**

"Magma is one of the hottest substances in the world…" Skull admitted, the fedora clad man advancing on his opponent with his weapon raised "It can even absorb fire, but it quickly loses its potency when exposed to wind and water."

**"DAMN YOU!"** the monster roared, lunging forwards, lashing out for the Rider's head, only for Skull to block it with his arm, the two straining against one another in a show of strength. However, as Lucy and Happy looked on from the side, the bones on Skull' chest began to separate, a glowing skull of purple fire forming between the combatants, letting out a roar that sent the monster stumbling backwards, the skull rising slowly into the air even as its master drew a black device from his belt buckle, slotting it into the holster on his hip.

**"SKULL: MAXIMUM DRIVE!" **a voice cried out, Lucy looking on in amazement as Skull leapt into the air, delivering a mighty roundhouse kick to the purple skull, sending it crashing into the terrified Magma monster, the Celestial Wizard letting out a shriek of surprise as an explosion rocked the air.

As the dust cleared, she found herself looking upon Bora, the faux-salamander weakly trying to push himself off the ground, his clothes smoking and in tatters, the shattered remains of the strange, rectangular device lying between him and Skull, who was kneeling in a crouch from his landing.

"Now…" Skull muttered, rising slowly to his feet, one hand securing his Fedora to his helmet, the other pointing at the down Fire Mage as he stood over him "Count up your sins…"

* * *

A little something I've been working on with Sketchfan and Faroush, with advice from the ever talented Kamen Rider Chrome of course.

Essentially, Gaia Memories are in Earthland, and several figures have gotten their hands on them. It's up to Skull to find them and destroy them, though it's not going to be an easy ride.

As for who Skull is, I'm not telling, though some of you probably already have a good clue. No spoilers for those who're in the dark though, 'kay?

One thing I should stress: Skull won't be joining Fairy Tail, he's strictly solo, though they do cross paths a lot.


	23. Dissidia: The Final Fantasy

Hello all you happy people.

I know, I know, 'Where the hell have you been?', well the answer to that is 'Looking for Work', 'cause as much as I'd like to deny it, I'm getting older, can't be relying on my folks for everything anymore, and it really isn't fair to lump everything on them, especially in the current economic climate.

Rest assured, however, I still find time to download all the crazy from my head and upload it into word documents for your amusement, case in point, this little number which came about after a really bad day of job searching and a comfort session composed of levelling up against Exdeath.

* * *

Dissidia: The Final Fantasy.

Beyond the boundaries of space, past the reach of the brightest stars, untouched by the darkness of the void, there existed an eerie, yet brilliantly wondrous landscape, composed of the purest form of energy and beauty.

In this landscape there was no concept of time, no concept of death, pain or suffering, such things were for lesser creatures, the beings which dwelled, and those fortunate enough to glimpse it even for a passing moment, existing free of the shackles that time places on all other things.

It was here that the lines of time and space converged, here that they mingled, weaving together to form the tapestry upon which the universe itself was borne, a complex, constantly changing work of art that no mortal loom could ever hope to recreate.

And it was here that the Galaxy Cauldron resided, far beyond the reach of those who would dare to usurp its power for their own twisted deeds once again.

Birthed in legend, hidden by time, the Cauldron was the birthplace of every Star, Planet and indigenous life-form in the universe. Without the Cauldron, there would be no life in the universe, no growth, no progress, nothing.

The cauldron had not always occupied this haven, at one point, it had been hidden somewhere thought unreachable, endlessly churning out new star seeds which would go on to create new lives, new stories, and new adventures.

Then Galaxia, the chosen Guardian of the Cauldron, believed to be the most powerful Senshi in existence, had stolen it, driven mad with the desire for power through the evil whispers of Chaos, the harbinger of death, destruction, and all that was evil.

No-one knew from whence Chaos emerged, even the force itself likely had no idea, though it constantly referred to itself as 'One who had never become a star', simply existing as the ultimate expression of nothingness that remained from the time when everything in the universe was one within the Galaxy Cauldron. As such, it longed to be reunited with everything in the cauldron, and would stop at nothing, even intergalactic genocide, to get what it wanted.

To this end, it wrought war, death, destruction, and hate, destroying everything in its path, watching with glee as the stars returned to the Cauldron, only to learn that, in time, they would be reborn and sent out into the universe once again. It took the selfless act of one, immature young woman to purify the cauldron of Chaos' taint, allowing it to once again give birth to new star seeds.

However, this was but a temporary reprieve…for so long as the light of the cauldron exists, so too shall the shadows of Chaos.

* * *

_Galaxy Cauldron... _

Within the depths of the cauldron, bathed in the light of countless unborn stars, lay the miniscule form of Guardian Cosmos, keeper of the Cosmos Crystal, guardian and the initial sole inhabitant of the Galaxy Cauldron.

She had existed in the Cauldron since the beginning of time itself, even Sailor Pluto, the Guardian of Time, was a child compared to Cosmos, who had seen the birth, and death, of more stars and worlds than the Time Guardian had possible futures.

Here, within the depths of the Cauldron, one could sit back and watch the countless events of the universe transpire simultaneously, and at their leisure. She could witness the flow of worlds, the events and peoples that made up the universe, watch them rise and mature, watch as they aged and fell, all in the blink of an eye, hundreds and thousands and millions of years passing instantaneously.

Here, an eternity could pass in a moment, and likewise, a moment could last for an eternity. But it was a life without form, for within the Galaxy Cauldron, there was no need for food to devour, no need of air to breath, the countless unborn stars providing all the company she could ask for, and yet, at the same time, she had stood alone.

Not anymore.

"So here you are, Cosmos."

Guardian Cosmos opened her eyes, her features a mask of calm as she faced her adversary, and while it was truly the first time they had stood face to face, she could not help but feel a sense of familiarity.

"I have been expecting you, Chaos."

If Cosmos were to be described as bathed in light, then Chaos was the opposite. The figure before her was wreathed in shadows, her clothes, her hair, everything was composed of a suffocating darkness that seemed to hungrily devour all traces of light. Tendrils of it swirled around her, casting a cloud around her form, partially obscuring it from view.

Other than that, however, the two could have been mistaken for sisters, their features, even their build, identical as two peas in a pod, though the cruel, victorious smile on Chaos' face ruined the effect.

"Your advantage is gone, Cosmos." The Dark Guardian declared, her tone victorious and a confident smile on her face as she stood before her polar opposite "We are equals now."

"Here, in the Cauldron, we are indeed equals." Cosmos agreed, facing her dark twin with her usual calm, sanguine expression "However, as I'm sure you've realised, just as we are equals, neither of us can harm one another."

"I may not be able to harm you, Cosmos." Chaos agreed, her onyx black eyes sparking with dark delight as he stared into her Counterpart's own "But I can still HURT you. I can still kill the things you love."

As if to prove her point, the Dark Guardian raised her staff in the air, the Crystal on the weapon releasing a blast of dark light that engulfed several Star Seeds, snuffing them of their light instantly.

"You can try, Chaos." Cosmos replied calmly, the Guardian of Light raising her own Staff, the Crystal set within releasing a wave of light which drove the darkness back the light of the Star Seeds returning as they were instantly reborn "But in the end it will serve no purpose, for as you said: here we are equals." She smiled menignly at her dark counterpart "Everything you do I can undo. For every act of Evil you perform, I shall counter…" she raised her hand, and a thousand Stars burst into life, causing Chaos to flinch before their brilliance "for every light you extinguish, I shall revive and increase."

"You cannot match me forever." Chaos declared, though her smug smile had been replaced with a wary frown, the confidence that had adorned her features vanishing, leaving them devoid of emotion, though her onyx eyes continued to glare at her hatefully.

"I can if I must." Cosmos countered, her features as serene as ever in the face of her foe's animosity "However, a battle between the two of us would be meaningless, in the end, it would serve no purpose but to destroy the Cauldron itself, killing not only us, but damning the rest of the universe with us.

Chaos shivered, and for a moment, a flash of fear lit the Dark Guardian's features at the mention of the Cauldron's destruction.

As one who never became a Star, Chaos' sole desire, her very existence, had been dedicated to returning to the Cauldron, to once again bask in the glow of the unborn Star Seeds that she could recall, albeit distantly, surrounding her since before time immemorial.

It had been for this purpose that she had sacrificed so much, every life destroyed, every destiny altered, every star extinguished or world brought to ruin. All so that she could return to the one place she felt she belonged. The very idea that the cauldron could be destroyed, so soon after she'd finally attained her wish, was more horrifying than the despair she'd felt when she'd been expelled the first time.

"What you say is true…" the Dark Guardian conceded, though her displeasure was obvious as she glared at her counterpart as if it were HER fault "Still, what else is there for us to do?"

"Need we do anything?" Cosmos asked, the shining denizen of the Cauldron's features serene as she smiled, gesturing to the well of stars that surrounded them, which continued to dance and shine as they went on their way to making new worlds "Would you not be content to sit back and watch their stories unfurl?"

"No." Chaos countered, and here her voice grew defiant "Perhaps you are content to play the role of the passive observer, Cosmos." She gestured to herself "But not I. I remember life outside the cauldron, I recall the freedom to make my OWN choices. I recall weaving the fates of worlds, altering their destinies, directing their events. Not only that, but I can recall every experience from taking part in their stories, the bad and the good, every success and failure."

She stood before her counterpart and sneered "You ask that I give up that pleasure to live all of eternity as a mere spectator? I would sooner choose death!"

* * *

_Cosmos' POV... _

Cosmos sighed, shaking her head at her Dark counterpart's words.

In truth, she could understand Chaos' stance, for in her role as an 'observer', Cosmos had borne witness to the many, many stories that her counterpart had immersed herself in, and the many roles she'd assumed. Some were minor, a simple, recurring pestilence that brought life to what would be otherwise boring, everyday lives. Some were more noticeable, a drastic event that would shape a developing story and make it all the more interesting.

And then there were the roles where she'd taken a more proactive approach, directly interfering with the flow of the tale, providing depth, motive, sometimes altering the very core of the characters to provide the necessary foil, the 'Villains' that the 'Heroes' would have to face.

And as much as Cosmos wished it weren't the case, Chaos played a vital role in the grand scheme of things. Without Chaos, there would be no trials to face, no challenges to surpass, without something to oppose, there would be no heroes, no legends.

In short, the universe would be a very boring place.

True, as the Embodiment of Order, Cosmos couldn't condone her counterpart's acts of evil. She felt the pain of every life destroyed, every world brought to ruin, every star whose light had been snuffed out. But those worlds that overcame the challenges Chaos placed on them quickly learned to adapt, to evolve, to embrace what was necessary in order to survive.

In short, for every world Chaos destroyed, there would always be one that rose to stand against her. And for every world that fought back, Chaos would find some new way to test them.

'Earth most especially…' Cosmos sighed sadly, shaking her head as she turned her thoughts to a particular cluster of Stars, more specifically, a small, almost un-noticeable planet, part of a cluster of nine, the sole planet capable of supporting intelligent life in its system.

One would wonder why anyone would be interested in such a small, insignificant planet. True, many of its inhabitants erroneously believed it to be the centre of the universe, but the fact was, compared to the countless well of stars, the planet Earth really wasn't all that impressive.

And yet, as with most worlds that Chaos had taken an interest in, it was on this small, unassuming planet, that some of the most interesting stories were told. Whether it was the work of Chaos, or some sort of cosmic anomaly, Cosmos couldn't say for certain, but for some reason the blue Planet was a magnet for trouble as everything from space pirates to planet killers were drawn to it in droves, looking to take a slice out of it for themselves.

Luckily enough, the Earth had long since adapted to these threats by siring one of the most unorthodox, highly adaptable species in known the universe, namely Humanity.

Now true, humans were not, as a whole, exceptionally powerful, nor were they particularly long lived. Nor, sadly, were they notably intelligent, evident in the fact that, with each new elected leader, they came that much closer to killing themselves off as a race through sheer stupidity.

But because they were weak, humans learned to be cunning, and because their lives barely registered in the hundreds, they learned to make life last, usually by devising ways to make others' shorter. And while it was true, as a whole, they were not particularly developed compared to other galactic empires; their evolutionary curve was higher than most galaxies combined, as no matter what plain of existence Cosmos looked into, there was always some aspect of humanity facing off against a minion of chaos.

'Beryl, Wiseman, Mistress 9, Queen Nehellenia…' Cosmos sighed, recalling the countless lives her counterpart had interfered with, had corrupted, all for her own goals. Even Galaxia, the Guardian of the Cauldron, believed by many to be the most powerful Senshi in the known Universe, had been unable to ward off the compelling whispers of Chaos.

Had she never left the Cauldron, had she remained within, a part of Cosmos, that might have been another story, but she had not, she had been expelled with all the other Star Seeds, and as such, had experienced life, with all its temptations and disappointments, and like so many who were given the gift, quickly became obsessed with it.

In short, it was impossible for Chaos, who since time immemorial had been a player, though rarely an active one, to assume the role of an observer, which was the only foreseeable way Cosmos could see the two of them coexisting within the cauldron.

'Or perhaps not…' the Guardian of Order pondered, a small, serene smile gracing her features, her silver eyes dancing as she gazed into the onyx pair of her dark counterpart "Would you care for a game, Chaos?"

"A game?" the Dark Guardian repeated, quirking one brow delicately, her face a mask of suspicion as she scowled at her long-time foe "What sort of game?"

"A simple one." Cosmos elaborated calmly "One that should appeal to you as it does to me. If we cannot battle one another directly, then we shall do so through our pieces."

"An interesting suggestion…" Chaos admitted, her features cool, though Cosmos could tell from the glint in her Onyx eyes that the Dark Guardian was intrigued by the notion "What are the stakes? A game without stakes is boring, and so means nothing to me."

"I thought you would say that." Cosmos admitted, sighing softly to herself at her counterpart's inability to enjoy a game simply for the sake of playing it "What then, would you consider a worthy stake?"

"What else?" Chaos replied, gesturing with one hand towards the well of stars surrounding them, her Onyx eyes glinting with satisfaction "Here we stand at the centre of all things, it is here that all stories ultimately begin, and it is here where they eventually return."

"I cannot condone the corruption of Star Seeds." Cosmos countered, and for the first time a look of disapproval crossed her sanguine features "Such an act would defile the Cauldron."

"I know that all too well, Cosmos." Chaos assured her counterpart with a scowl, as if angered that the Guardian would think so ill of her "Besides, I have no interest in tales that haven't even begun…" a cold smile adorned her lips "however, the seeds which have already fled the cauldron are another story altogether."

"Indeed…" Cosmos agreed, internally sighing in relief. It would seem that her understanding of Chaos' character had been accurate thus far; the Dark Guardian thrived on the excitement life delivered unto those who experienced it. To corrupt the cauldron would ruin any chances she had of interfering in the affairs of mortals, which meant if she wished to REMAIN in the cauldron, the infant star seeds had to remain untouched, however this meant the stars that HAD been released were fair game "Then let us play a game, Chaos."

"I shall leave the rules to you." Chaos submitted, smiling wryly at the quirked brow on her counterpart's features "Even I know that any game worth playing must have rules to follow, it's what makes it interesting."

"Indeed, there will have to be rules." Cosmos agreed, nodding her head in approval at her doppelganger's show of maturity and sportsmanship "Where than, shall the field be set?"

"We can create the playing field easily." Chaos assured her dismissively, a smug smile adorning her features as she waved her hand, a small cluster of stars forming around them "What matters now is the style of game. How do you feel about warring empires?"

She waved her hand, and around them, the star seeds shone, rays of light displaying scenes from countless battles, be they on land, sea or amidst the stars.

"No." Cosmos countered, waving a hand, dismissing the scenes of conquest and bloodshed with a shake of her head "Such a game would have no true winner," she nodded once, and the star seeds reformed once more, the light rays forming a board of starlight between the two "I suggest a much smaller battlefield…with a select number of pieces."

"A challenge…" Chaos noted, her onyx eyes glinting with anticipation as she stroked her chin, as if already imagining the pieces lined up for the slaughter "How then, shall we decide the pieces?"

"Seven apiece seems just right." Cosmos opined, a sanguine smile on her face even as seven star seeds hovered between the pair, taking the form of seven cards, outlined with seven different figures "Each assigned a specific class, to play a specific role."

"You and your order…" Chaos muttered, looking annoyed, albeit impressed, at her counterpart's insistence on conformity "Still, I suppose the idea has merit, though I propose that the players have some form of connection, something to drive them to battle one another."

"It WOULD be rather pointless to pit opponents with no motivation against one another…" Cosmos acknowledged, eager to avoid unnecessary alterations to the natural order of things.

"Each piece shall be compelled to seek out their respective foe," Chaos intoned, and several of the cards shuffled, aligning themselves with those of their opposition, conflict between other pieces, however, is not verboten."

"T'would hardly be a challenge otherwise." Cosmos agreed, albeit hesitantly, her eyes glowing silver as she eyed the board before her "However, only in battle against one's true foe can defeat be final."

"But of course," Chaos smirked, nodding her head in approval "After all, what else are climactic final battles for than to bring the story to a close?"

"For the loser, perhaps." Cosmos countered, her tone disapproving, for the victor, the story goes on."

"And just how, pray tell, is the victor to be decided?" Chaos demanded, eyeing her counterpart with a haughty expression only to scowl as Cosmos merely smiled at her "When all of the opponent's pieces have been swept away?"

"No." Cosmos denied, shaking her head disapprovingly, the star seeds separating from the cards that contained them, before scattering themselves to different parts of the board "The winner shall be the one whose surviving pieces have recovered their precious memories."

"Ah, an added incentive…" Chaos noted, smiling approvingly at the board, as if trying to determine where each Star Seed had hidden itself "I must admit, this is all very well thought out." She paused briefly "Is there to be a time limit?"

"No time limit." Cosmos countered, shaking her head demurely "Within the confines of the game, a million years could pass in an instant, and an instant may last a million years."

"Want to drag this out for as long as possible do you?" Chaos noted, smiling a dangerous smile that was as terrifying as it was beautiful "As you will, I'm not going anywhere."

"Then come, Chaos." Cosmos urged, holding out her staff so that it and Chaos' were arched over the board "Let the games begin."

* * *

*Play Towards Tomorrow by Hexy's force*

As the two staves touched, the fourteen cards rose into the air, circling the board, the multitude of Star Seeds whirling around the pair, a lightshow that only those privy to the cauldron could possibly imagine.

A ckash of steel drove the light away, the scene chainging to the crumbling halls of an ancient castle, where a redheaded woman in armour raced towards her foe, a sword held in each hand while her opponent, a woman with equally red hair, lashed out with a lance, the clash of steel as their weapons collided offset by their identical savage snarls, more like that of a monster than that of a woman.

They broke apart, only to clash once more, the scene shifting to that of a fog covered rooftop, where a young boy was sent flying backwards courtesy of a massive figure with luminous blue hair. The boy staggered to his feet, leaning heavily on his massive spear, it's tip buried in the roof of the building for leverage. With a yell, he yanked it out of the ground, charging towards the massive, shadowy figure, the cloth at the end of his spear erupting in a flash of light as he lunged forwards.

Once again the scene changed, the fog replaced by smoke and iron dust that rose steadily into the air above a barren wasteland. Buried point first in the ground, like impromptu headstones, were countless weapons, blades of wondrous, terrifying beauty, a veritable graveyard of weapons. Overlooking it all was a tall man in red, his white hair rustling in the wind, his eyes closed as if in slumber, only to snap open, glaring angrily as a light appeared on the horizon, a figure in gold standing before what appeared to be the setting sun, were it not for the equally numerous amount of blades that were hovering behind him. As he looked on, the figure in gold raised one hand and snapped his fingers, sending a hail of weaponry at the man in crimson, who leapt to his feet, twin swords appearing in his hands.

As the hail of steel descended, the scene changed once more to show a young boy, wielding a staff taller than he was, as he faced off against a figure shrouded in dark robes. With a wave of his hand, the youth summoned several spheres of light, which he launched at the cloaked figure, only for them to be deflected by some strange, impenetrable barrier, the figure responding by summoning a barrage of his own spheres, infinitely greater in number, and carrying the trademark scent of ozone that normally followed a lightning strike.

With a wave of his hand the cloaked figure launched his counter attack, the spheres of thunder and lightning crashing down around the youth, the screen turning white once more, only to zoom out, revealing the messy white hair of a young boy in a purple pullover and shorts. He crouched low, like a cat prepared to fight or flee, the fingers of his right hand twisted into horrendous claws that dripped blood, his eyes watching his target, an orange haired man dressed in a manner reminiscent of a harlequin, who smiled coyly as he licked the blood from one of his playing cards, his snake like eyes filed with madness and twisted arousal, yanking his arm back, the boy cursing as he was suddenly hauled towards the clown, who reared back a clenched fist to strike the boy in the face.

The sound of shattering ice heralded another scene change, an ominous figure in an armoured body suit and black cape cursing as he stepped back from the ruined ice statue he'd just destroyed, while off to the side another figure, this one clad in fine robes and garments, clapped mockingly as he leant against a far wall. The armoured figure snarled, a giant of black steel appearing behind him, it's golden claws launching themselves at the white clad figure, who simply sneered as they were deflected by the crimson swords of his own, golden giant.

The two behemoths charged one another, the Black Giant swatting one of its golden foe's swords into the air, the blade glinting as it spun, only to be replaced with a shot of a massive blade, like a slab of raw iron, dropping from the heavens, the wielder, a giant of a man dressed in black, snarling like a feral beast as he glared at the figure in white that stood perched on the edge of his weapon, balancing expertly while pointing the tip of his falchion at the black giant's face, a hawk-like mask concealing his features, save for a pretty mouth and intense blue eyes. Snarling incoherently, Black swordsman, heedless of his opponent's weight, lifted his weapon up, the white swordsman leaping clear, aching through the air like a hawk in flight, his lips quirked in regal amusement, as if this were nothing more than a game to him, his eyes glinting with the innocent malice of a child.

With a clash of steel, the scenery changed once more, revealing the individual battles, each happening in what appeared to be different crystals, which in turn revealed themselves to be individual star seeds clustered together. As the battles wore on, the Star seeds began to glow, becoming blazing comets of light as they spun into the sky, clashing together in a mighty eruption of light, forming what appeared to be a small galaxy in their wake.

Dissidia: The Final Fantasy.

* * *

Aaaand, that's all for the teaser trailer.

As I said, this came about from a bad day of jobhunting, after which I secluded myself for a nice soothing marathon of beating the shit out of Exdeath. But enough about me, this where I make a brief rundown of my latest brainchild for those who feel a little lost.

1. As some can see, THIS Dissidia is a little different from most, in that it doesn't involve Final Fantasy characters at all. The plot's still simillar to the original, only instead of cosmos and Chaos being 'replicants' or whatever the hell they were, they're actual honest to goodness/evilness GODS, or at least th equivalent of such.

2. For those scratching their heads, Guardian Cosmos is a character from the Sailor Moon MANGA, not the anime, and should not be confused with SAILOR Cosmos, the supposed evolved form of Sailor Moon/Chibi-Chibi. Cosmos resides inside the Galaxy Cauldron, and can be considered it's keeper and true guardian.

3. Guardian Chaos, to my Knowledge, was never mentioned in the manga, and unless told otherwise, simply assume the Chaos in THIS fic is an OC character which follows the Tenchi Muyo theory of the 'Counteractor', the opposing force to a higher power. Essentially, If Cosmos is the equivalent of the Three Goddesses, Chaos is the equivalent of Misaki, the only person capable of keeping their power in check. As such, she is not to be confused with Chaos Galactica or Sailor Chaos, who are seperate characters.

4. For those sharp eyes that noticed: Yes, they are using the 'Servant' System from Fate as part of their little game, the only difference is that both sides have seven Servants to do their bidding, so expect scenes where two sabres are fighting and what not.

5. As stated, the servants will have all their relevant combat abilities, but their true names and identities will be stripped from them until they retrieve their Star Seeds. Not thatt this matters much in the grand scheme of things, hell, you probably recognized most of the cast right off the bat, this is a teaser trailer after all.

6. This follows the events of the original Dissidia, so naturally, Cosmos and Chaos have been playing their little games for quite some time now, and some of the more veteran 'Servants' are starting to get a little miffed.

7. No pairings, so to speak, kinda hard to do so when both sides only have one woman each. At least the original had three girls if you excluded cosmos (Four if you count the fact that, in the original japanese version, kuja was a girl).

Anyway, just getting this off my chest to clear up brain power. make of it what you will.


	24. Hunter x Hunter: Side Story

Yo, long time no udpdate?

In any case, this little beaut was actually designed a while back, and if it does get up, it probably won't be on my page, but here's a teaser anyway.

As some of you can tell, this was designed as a gift for my good buddy Sketchfan, who has been a source of inspiration for me ever since he got me hooked on Code Geass.

This one's for you buddy, hope it's to your liking.

* * *

Hunter x Hunter: Side Story.

_Strange beasts and monsters…Secret treasures, hoards of undiscovered wealth…mystical places and unexplored frontiers…the mysterious 'unknown'…there are magic in those words…and those that are captivated by their spell…are called HUNTERS._

* * *

_Dolle Harbor, morning..._

Dolle Harbor, a quiet, seafaring town that made it' living through sea-trade and fishing, though it also provided a nice quiet spot for people looking to get away from the hassle of life to come and rest.

Despite this, and the numerous amount of people passing through the harbor, the town itself was normally relatively quiet, the very definition of the word 'boring', with most people passing through quickly on their way to the capital city of Zaban, which resided on the other side of a mountain, fraught with magical beasts and other natural hazards.

The only time this quiet, backwater seaport shows any form of activity, is when it is used to usher in those potential candidates for the prestigious Hunter Exam, which is held once a year.

Into this picture, we find a young boy, thirteen at the very most, dressed in an impressively well cut suit and tie, complete with fedora, as he disembarked from one of the many ships that serve to escort such applicants to the port.

'Ugh…' the boy muttered, lifting a handkerchief to cover his mouth and nose at the smell of sea-salt and water that pervaded the dock 'Bracing my foot…I'll be glad to see the back of this place.'

"Feelin' alright there, lad?" the captain asked, one of those crusty, bearded, man-of-the-sea, the old sea-dog leaning against the rail of his vessel as he eyed the survivors of the journey as they staggered off "Land legs giving you trouble?"

"Nothing you need concern yourself with, captain." The boy countered, his tone firm, but nonetheless polite as he inclined his head towards the captain "Thank you for your concern."

"Not at all." The captain assured him, inclining his head towards the youth, pleased to see a young man with such good manners in this day and age. The boy was better spoken, and dressed, than all the other aspirants put together, and had weathered the rough journey over much better as well, as he'd refused to vomit no matter HOW hard the deck rolled beneath his feet "If'n I were you, I'd try makin' my way towards that lone pine atop yon hill there." He offered, pointing to the tree in question in the distance "Good a place as any to start lookin' for the exam hall."

"Much appreciated." The youth offered, inclining his head to the captain in gratitude, before picking up his attaché case "Fair weather to you."

"And to you lad," the captain offered, watching him saunter off with a calm expression, before sighing and turning back to his ship, as there were supplies to be brought on board and they wouldn't oversee themselves.

* * *

_Dolle harbor docks... _

"Let's see…" the young man muttered, walking sedately down the docks as he made his way towards the steps which would lead up to the town proper "How to go about finding transport to that pine?"

"GERROF MY SHIP YOU LITTLE BASTARD!" voice roared, the youth looking up just in time to see a black-clad posterior sailing towards him, his eyes widening in alarm, only for the offending backside to slam into his face, sending him crashing into the dock in a tangle of limbs.

"Ow!" the owner of the offending rump swore, getting to his feet, heedless of his impromptu cushion as he began ranting at the one who'd thrown him, a large, make that MASSIVE fisherman, who stood atop a tuna-boat, massive arms crossed across his chest, above his bulging belly "THAT HURT YOU FUCKING GEEZER!"

"It'll hurt MORE if you ever show your face aboard the Kikokumaru again!" the old demon growled, his eyes like miniature thunderstorms as he glared in response.

"HA!" the youth's assaulter scoffed, flipping the bird towards the old man, and the crew amassed behind him "Just you wait! Once I become a Pro-Hunter, I'll come back and sink that tub of yours!"

"You? A Pro-Hunter?" a lanky member of the crew with a pointed chin, ears, and head jeered, making him look like something out of a cheesy horror movie "Yeah right! A runt as short as you wouldn't make it past the toll gate!"

"YOU WANNA SAY THAT TO MY FACE TEME?" the assaulter demanded, rolling up his sleeves as he glared at the man, only to be met with a duffle bag to the face, courtesy of the captain, who barked at the crew to prep to set sail, as they were burning daylight "You just wait!" he yelled as he got to his feet once again "Wash your hair and wait for me, Jerks!"

"It's NECK." The youth muttered, getting to his feet with a grimace as he dusted himself down, checking his suit for damage "The correct saying is to wash their necks, not hair."

"Ah, who asked you?" the assaulter countered, turning to glare at the youth in annoyance, only to blink at the sight of him "For that matter…where the hell'd you come from?"

The youth sighed, feeling the beginnings of a headache coming on as he glared at his assaulter balefully as he reaffixed his Fedora. To his surprise, it turned out to be another youth, possibly the same age as him, though at least a head shorter, his two tone hair was styled oddly, the back and sides were shaved, though you could tell they were black, while the top was white, and styled in what resembled a drooping Mohawk. His sun-kissed skin stood out in contrast to his shocking white hair, his face set with one red eye and one blue. He was wearing what looked like an old-school gakuran, complete with trailing coat.

All in all, compared to the suit-clad youth, he looked, and acted, like some sort of stereotypical Highschool thug.

"Hey…" the two-tone teen demanded, snapping the suit clad youth out of his musings to find the thug practically nose to nose with him "You from around here kid?"

"Most assuredly NOT." The youth muttered, frowning in distaste at the breaching of his personal space as he backed away from the two-tone teen "I'm here to apply for the Hunter Exam, much like yourself, going by you're earlier rant."

"You?" the two-tone teen wondered, looking the suit-clad youth up and down with a confused expression on his face "Sure you're dressed for it?"

"I might say the same for YOU." The youth countered, eyeing the other's Gakuran with a look of mild distaste in his eyes, though his features remained neutral.

"Hey! Don't go dissing the threads!" the two-tone teen countered, thumbing the jacket of his Gakuran with a smirk "This' here Gakuran's my trademark! Name's Chino, back home they call me the Knuckle Bomber!"

'Knuckle HEAD-er more like it…' the youth muttered, sighing in exasperation as he turned on his heel, having had more than enough of this conversation.

"Hey where you going?" Chino demanded, the self-proclaimed 'Knuckle Bomber' looking up at the youth in confusion "Aren't you gonna introduce yourself? I figure if we're both going to the exam anyway, we can go together!"

"No." the youth countered, refusing to even look back as he ascended the steps leading up to the town, leaving the two-tone teen behind.

* * *

_As the fedora boy walks off... _

"What the hell?" Chino demanded, looking on as the suit-wearing youth just walked off without saying another word "The hell's his problem? You'd think I did something to the guy."

Shrugging offhandedly, he scooped up his duffle bag by the strap and slung it over his shoulder, looking up at the high wall that separated the docks from the town proper with an eager expression "Finally made it." he muttered, a confident smirk forming across his face "Look out Hunter Exam, cause here I come!"

Unbeknownst to the Hunter Hopeful, a third figure had overseen the interchange between him, the crew of the Kikokumaru, and the fedora-sporting youth, the witness sitting on top of a nearby crane, high enough that the entire harbor could be seen, but close enough that the conversations were still audible.

"He looks like fun…" the figure mused, a smile adoring her lips as she stood up, perching easily atop the crane, one knee bent as she put her hands into the pockets of her jeans, her features hidden as the sun shone behind her head "I think I might like this exam…"

* * *

_Dolle Harbor town centre... _

"Lessee…" Chino muttered, the gakuran sporting teen looking up at a massive map that displayed the various towns around them "Wait…where was the Hunter's Exam supposed to be held again?"

"Zaban." A voice supplied from behind, the teen turning round, looking up to see a tall man with dark, red-streaked dreadlocks under a beanie hat, dressed in what looked like a basketball vest over a pair of cargo pants "You lost kid?"

"Who you calling kid, old man?" Chino countered, glaring up at the easily six foot man angrily, even as the man scowled down on him.

"Pretty mouthy little runt." The man muttered, leaning down to glare at Chino, the two of them practically nose to nose as lightning sparked between them "Why don't you run along before I send you cryin' for mama?"

"I'd like to see you try." Chino dared, the two of them practically face to face now, the crowd backing away to give them some room, several of them calling out 'fight!', one adventurous local setting up a betting booth nearby, only for them to look up as a nearby speaker announced the last bus of the day was headed for Zaban now.

"Tch…" the dreadlock sporting man muttered, straightening up and spitting off to the side as he glared at Chino "You got lucky brat."

"Same to you shit-locks!" Chino countered, flipping the man the bird as he walked off, seething as the elder man ignored him "Jeez, I keep running into jerks and assholes today, what's with this place?"

"They're just jumpy 'cause the exams so tough." A cheerful voice suggested in his ear, the two-tone teen whipping round, only to get a face full of something soft and squishy, "Well now! Aren't you forward?"

"GAH!" Chino yelped, backing away from the mounds with a jump, looking up to see a tall girl, make that young woman, with exotically tanned skin and features, standing before him, dressed in form fitting blue jeans, boots and a red, woolen tank-top, her black hair pulled into a ponytail, one blue bang hanging over her face.

"Well that's an interesting way to say hello." She mused, smiling at the two-tone teen, one hand on the hip of her jeans, the other loose at her side "You greet everyone like that where you're from?"

"You sneaked up one me!" Chino countered, his hair spiking up as pointed at the woman, goose bumps racing down his frame as his breath quickened "What the hell were you doing sneaking up on me like that?"

"Hmm…" the woman noted, leaning forward so that she was peering into his eyes, Chino's face lighting up as the action caused her breasts to jiggle, only for her to beam at him "I like you, let's be friends!"

"Like hell!" Chino countered, spiking up as he backed away from the pouting, clearly insane foreigner, only to blink, his eyes widening in alarm "Shit! The bus!"

"Oh that left already." The woman explained, straightening up and covering her eyes with one hand, Chino turning to follow her gaze, blanching as he saw the bus had indeed already left.

"Great!" the Hunter Hopeful swore, throwing his hands in the air "That was the last bus of the day! How'm I supposed to get to the exam hall NOW?"

"You could come with me?" the foreign suggested, smiling down at the two-tone teen "I overheard one of the captains say that the best place to start looking is the lone pine atop the hill outside town." She beamed at him "Wanna go together?"

"Like hell!" Chino muttered, shouldering his duffle bag with a frown "Look, thanks for the help, but a real man doesn't need help from a woman." He turned on his heel and walked off "See ya around!"

"The hills the other way." The woman pointed out, a teasing smile on her face as Chino froze, one foot suspended off the ground in the act of heading off in the wrong direction.

"I knew that!" he snapped, spinning on his heel and marching in the right direction, refusing to look at the woman as he marched past her, his eyes fixed on the lone pine which was visible even from town.

"He's so cute." The foreign woman giggled, sticking her hands in her pockets as she moved to follow the two-tone teen, a smile on her face "This exams gonna be so much fun!"

* * *

_Dolle Forest... _

"Seem to be making good time…" the Fedora sporting youth muttered, looking at his pocket watch in approval as he sat under a nearby tree, having left the main highway behind not long ago, and was now making his way up the mountain path "Should reach the summit by noon…"

"WOULD YOU STOP FOLLOWING ME ALREADY?" a familiar voice demanded, the youth looking up in surprise to see the two-tone teen from the docks marching towards him, glaring over his shoulder at a young woman with exotic features "I SAID I'M NOT TRAVELLING WITH YOU!"

"Oh come on-!" the woman pouted, the Fedora clad teen sweat dropping at how immature she sounded despite her figure "Don't be so cruel, Chibinosuke!"

"AND STOP CALLING ME THAT DAMMIT!" the two-tone teen snarled, his head actually enlarging as he spat fire at the unwanted nickname "It's Chino! CHI-NO! Wait! Why am I telling you that? Just stop following me already!"

"Would you mind keeping it down?" the youth demanded, scowling at the newcomers with a hint of annoyance "Or at the very least go somewhere else? I'm trying to rest here, and all your noise is likely to bring a Magical Beast down on us."

"Hey!" Chino exclaimed, pointing at the youth in recollection "I remember you! You're that jerk that brushed me off at the docks!"

'I'm the jerk?' the youth wondered, quirking an eyebrow at the two-tone teen from where he sat beneath the tree 'Big talk coming from the one who uses people as landing pads.'

"Hi there!" a cheery voice greeted, the youth blinking in alarm to find himself face to cleavage with the foreign girl, who was bending over to beam at him in greeting "Are you a friend of Chibinosuke!"

"That's not my name and he's NOT my friend dammit!" Chino countered, the two-tone teen glaring between the two, clearly trying to determine who he despised more at the moment "This jerk just brushed me aside when I asked him if he wanted to ask around for the exam, thinks he's better than everyone else just cause he's got a cheap suit."

"Cheap suit?" the fedora clad teen repeated, eyeing the two-tone teen in disbelief, and no hint of anger "I'll have you know this is a custom Armani original! It probably costs more than your HOUSE."

"Yeah-yeah big whoop!" Chino muttered, glaring at the Fedora sporting teen "So what're you doing here Mr. Too-Big-For-His-Britches? I'd have thought you'd have gotten the bus like the rest of them."

"Don't be absurd." The Fedora sporting youth scoffed, eyeing the irate, shorter teen mockingly from beneath the rim of his hat "Didn't you learn anything on the way over?" he asked, only to shake his head at the two-tone teen's clueless expression "Getting to the Exam hall is PART of the exam, that means all the obvious routes are traps, designed to cull the amount of participants down to a more manageable number." He eyed the pair warily "I don't know how you found out about it, but the pine ahead is said to be the best place to start looking for the exam," he snorted "Maybe you're not as hopeless as I thought."

"Them's fighting words punk!" Chino snapped, his features drawn in a snarl as he lashed out, only for the youth to dodge, one hand on his Fedora "Put 'em up! I've been looking for a reason to cut loose all day!"

"Barbarian." The fedora sporting youth sighed, side-stepping nimbly around the two-tone teen's savage punches, which he noted were rather impressive for someone his age, showing he at least had the skill to back up his words.

"Quit dancing around and come take you licks like a man dammit!" Chino demanded, glaring at the fedora sporting youth as he nimbly sidestepped again "You chicken!"

"Hardly." The youth countered, tone dismissive "I simply see no need to bring myself down to the level of a common brawler."

"Level THIS!" Chino yelled, leaping into the air, earning a whistle of approval from his female tag-along at how high he jumped, the youth grimacing as his vision was obscured by the sun, only to leap back as Chino descended, his foot stamping into a muddy puddle next to where the youth had been standing, spraying mud everywhere.

"Heh," Chino scoffed, smirking confidently at the youth as the latter wiped mud out of his face "Not so squeaky clean now are you?" he scoffed, smirking as he espied the youth's fedora lying in the mud "Was aiming for your HEAD, but oh well."

"You little…" the youth muttered, Chino shivering as he picked up the Fedora, glaring at the mud adorning it before setting it aside with his attaché case "You'll pay for that…"

"Check's in the mail!" Chino jeered, racing in with his fist drawn back for a haymaker, only to twitch, leaping back, his eyes narrowed in suspicion.

"Chibinosuke?" the two-tone teen's tag-along wondered, only to blink as the trunk of a tree between the duo suddenly developed several gashes, branches falling to the ground from above.

"You're pretty good to see that coming." The Fedora sporting teen mused, his tone mildly impressed, though laced with anger, his fingers twitching, light catching off of several glistening threads as they danced around him like snakes, "I was planning to cut off your arm." His eyes narrowed as a small cut bled on the two-tone teen's cheek "Still, you couldn't dodge it completely.

"Filament wires…?" Chino muttered, eyeing the numerous dancing threads with a hint of wariness as he scowled "You got weird tastes man…you some sort of killer dentist or something?"

"Or something." The youth countered, his tone unexpressive as he glared at the teen "Not that it's going to matter to you in a minute."

"Heh…" Chino scoffed, shaking his head as he got to his feet, unfastening the buttons of his Gakuran jacket with one hand "You really think something like THIS is gonna scare me off?" he snorted, his hand moving down the buttons in order "Still, good to see you got some balls under that bad suit…" he threw his jacket off, revealing a loose red, sleeveless shirt that was tucked into his pants, and an ornate oriental dragon stitched into the underside of his jacket "But too bad for you, I'm the main character here!"

* * *

_Dolle forest... _

'What does he think this is, a shounen manga?' the youth wondered, eyeing the two-tone teen with an exasperated expression, only to blink as the two-tone teen disappeared "Where-?"

"WHEE!" the foreign woman from before squealed, having tackled Chino from the side with a projectile glomp, pressing the struggling two-tone teen's face into her cleavage as she held him off the ground by his neck "Chibinosuke! So cool!"

"AIR!" Chino screamed, trying to extract himself from the woman's surprisingly strong embrace, his arms and legs waving wildly as he fought to breath "Dammit! Get off me you damn milk tank! I'm in the middle of a fight here!"

"No." the youth finished, sighing in restrained amusement, his anger dissipating in the face of the scene playing out before him "We're done here…the moods' just not right anymore."

"The hell?" Chino demanded, trying to wriggle out of the woman's embrace, only to fail miserably as she continued to glomp him "You running away teme?"

"HARDLY." The youth countered, removing a hanky and slowly beginning to remove the mud from his fedora with careful swipes "It's simply getting late, and I'd much rather get to the pine before the sun goes down." He eyed the duo before him as he replaced his fedora on his head "We seem to be going the same way, so I suppose I can put up with the pair of you for that long."

"Who the hell would go with you-?" Chino began, only to choke as the woman, still holding him by the neck, suddenly leapt over and scooped up the youth, pulling them both into a group hug, their cheeks pressed into her chest.

"YAY!" she cheered, heedless of the two male's struggles as she held them close "We got a new friend Chibinosuke!"

"My name's Chino dammit!" the shorter teen swore, finally managing to break free, landing on his feet alongside the suit-clad youth, who despite being red faced from mortification, was happy to be able to breath without getting a mouthful of Mammary in the process "And he's not our friend!"

"But Chibinosuke!" the girl pouted, her features taking on an almost feline expression as she knelt down to look at the two-tone teen "Traveling is more fun with friends!"

"It's certainly more interesting…" the youth muttered, earning an exasperated look from Chino and a kitty smile from the woman, causing him to clear his throat and look away, dusting off his Fedora.

"Tch, Fine!" Chino swore, throwing his arms in the air before scooping up his discarded Gakuran jacket, slinging it over one shoulder as he scowled at the youth "you can tag along, but only as far as the tree!"

"Yay!" the girl cheered, jumping excitedly in the air before beaming at the youth "Oh! I'm Nikia by the way! And this is Chibinosuke!"

"Dokuro." The youth greeted, smiling at the pair as he affixed his Fedora onto his head, looking on as Chino's rant regarding the nickname was silenced by another glomp "Nice to meet you."

* * *

As stated, this was a gift for Sketchfan, and fans of his work probably recognized Chino, Nikia and Dokuro right off the bat, as well as a few other characters.

Just to clarify, while this is set in the same world as Hunter x Hunter, it is set a full year BEFORE Gon enterred the Exam, and as Satotz explained, the exam differs from year to year, so Chino and co will face different challenges than Gon and the gang did.

As this was a brianchild between sketch and me, there will be a few OC characters, as well as cameos from other series, if this gets off the ground, it'll be posted o either sketch's account or mine, so look forward to it and if you have any questions/suggestions, send them to Sketch AND Me, not just one or the other.

On second thoughts, send them to sketch, lord knows I'm swamped as it is ^_^.

Oh and just to clarify, we've already decided on their nen abilities so if you're writing about that, don't.


	25. Codename: Skull

Yo all, just posting this t clear up some memory space in the old noodle.

FYI, this is Another Kamen Rider x Code Geass x Sailor Moon Crossover. However, I'm trying something a little different with this one.

Continue at your discretion.

* * *

Prologue: Kingdom Come V Begins Night.

The sound of battle raged around her, the clashing of forged steel, the cries of men, women and beast melding into an ungodly clamour that should've been deafening, but for some reason, she seemed oddly detached, as if it were happening to someone else, and in a sense it was, for this was not the first time she'd dreamt this scene, where countless men in armour charged through a beautiful city that seemed too fantastic to be real, composed of buildings of brilliant marble and crystal, resplendent gardens filled with fresh, crystal clear waters, which reflected not the moon, but the resplendent Planet Earth that hung above them in the night sky.

'I'm on the moon…' she noted, and it was proof enough that this was a dream, for she highly doubted she'd be so accepting of this fact were she awake 'The earth looks so beautiful…like a sapphire in the night…'

"Prince Endymion!" she called out, or rather the woman who bore her face and voice did, bloody sword held in one hand, while the other supported a shield, dented and slick with blood from her allies and foes alike "Where are you, Prince Endymion?"

'That name again…' she muttered, a sense of wonderment, of longing washing over her at the mention of that auspicious name. It was not the first time she'd heard it, there had been many dreams before this one, and not all of them had been so violent, so desperate, more often than not they consisted of little more than a fleeting glance from the shadows, or gazing into the depths of a cauldron, but regardless of the setting, the mentioning of that name brought forth a wave of contradicting emotions within the dreamer.

There was love, first and foremost, the kind of love that could mobilize armies and move mountains, evidenced, in fact, by the very army she was leading through the marvellous palace, rising to a crescendo when she came upon the object of her quest, standing tall and proud, sword and hand, his black armour untouched by sword nor blood.

"Prince Endymion!" The woman that was, and at the same time, wasn't her called out, joy and relief at finding her beloved unharmed in this carnage evident as she stepped forward to greet him, followed closely by four men in matching uniform, only to freeze as the black clad knight levelled his sword at them, her eyes widening as she espied the silver haired figure cowering behind him.

"You highness…" one of the men behind her called out, his tanned, regal features, like those of an Arabian king, marred with a frown of confusion and contempt which caused the silver haired girl behind the prince to recoil as if struck "What is the meaning of this?"

"Sheathe your sword, Kunzite!" Endymion commanded, his tone brooking no argument as he turned his gaze towards the rest of the men "And that goes for you too, Malachite, Jadeite, Zoicite, unless you mean to face me I combat!"

"We would never raise our swords to you, your Highness." Kunzite assured the prince, though he did not sheathe his weapon, to do so on the battlefield was suicide after all "But please, tell me why it is you are here? As the Prince of Earth, it should be YOU leading the charge against the forces of the Moon Kingdom…" he scowled at the silver haired girl cowering behind his prince's back "Why then, do we find you here, behind enemy lines, and protecting the Moon Princess?"

"I protect her because I love her, Kunzite!" Endymion declared, and though his words were directed at the man, they still sent waves of agony through her heart, as if he'd stabbed her with his sword "Now lay down your weapons and call off this attack!"

"But you Highness!" she called out, her heart threatening to shatter under the pain "You are the Prince of Earth! Do you mean to betray your people, when our victory is so close at hand?"

"Beryl…" the prince spoke, and here his tone turned soft, almost pitying, as he regarded the woman before him "You are being deceived, the Earth Kingdom has nothing to gain from waging war against the Moon, all this will accomplish is depleting our forces for when the TRUE enemy, Metallia, makes her move."

At the mention of that name, the woman froze, a shiver racing down her spine, the very blood in her veins threatening to freeze, even as something dark grasped at her heart, stealing her breath away. She was not alone in her reaction either, for Kunzite and the other generals seemed equally rattled by the mentioning of the name, though nowhere NEAR as badly as she had been.

"Be that as it may…" Kunzite muttered, still looking shaken by the name, though he covered it admirably with the dignity one would expect from a man of his stature "Deception or not, it does not excuse your fraternizing with the Moon Princess."

The girl in question flinched and lowered her gaze, moving to hide behind Endymion only for the prince to send her a look that radiated comfort and concern. Immediately, a wave of hatred and jealousy washed over the woman, clearly emanating from Beryl, whose prior discomfort was replaced with a glare that could melt steel as she grit her teeth in anger.

"Your Highness," the second oldest of the remaining three generals spoke up, casting an almost pitying look towards the star crossed lovers "while I can understand your…attraction, to the Princess, I am afraid General Kunzite speaks the truth. Since time immemorial, it has been forbidden for any Earthling to enter into relations with those of the Moon Kingdom, even here, on the Moon, that law has never been disputed."

"I do not care." Endymion declared standing tall, his arm held to the side as if to shield the princes with his body "The law is wrong, just as this war is wrong, and I intend to stop it." He narrowed his eyes at the group "If you wish to stop me, then you will have to kill me."

The Generals fell silent, the troubled looks on their faces making it clear that they had no desire to raise their swords against their prince. Not out of fear, no, for they outmatched him four to one and he would be hard pressed to defend the princess from their assaults, no, it was their loyalty to the man that stayed their hands, for even if he was standing against him, he was still their prince, whom they had sworn to serve to the death, and beyond if necessary.

Beryl too, had fallen silent, but it was not out of confusion or loyalty, but because somewhere inside her a gaping void had appeared, a surge of emptiness that was growing ever deeper, filled only by the worst possible emotions one could feel for another.

Rage. Anger, Betrayal, Hatred, Jealousy, all these negative emotions and many more that escaped the human minds ability to comprehend rose within her, all of it aimed squarely at the silver haired harlot that was even now gazing up at Endymion with affection, affection that the prince returned, willingly.

In that instant, that moment where Endymion's eyes met those of the girl before her, Beryl's heart shattered, and something else surged in to fill the void, a sense of weightlessness, detachment, not quite euphoria, yet not entirely madness either.

"Then die with your beloved whore, Traitor!" she shrieked, in a voice that was not entirely her own, rushing past the startled Generals, sword held high, intending to bring it down on the princess' head, only for Endymion, noble, courageous Endymion, to put himself between the blade and his beloved, the princess and the Generals crying out in horrified union as the blade pierced the prince's back, running him through.

"Don't look so sad…" Beryl taunted, in that eerie, two-tone voice, smiling down at the weeping princess even as she raised her sword over her head once more "You'll be with him soon enough!"

"PRINCESS SERENITY!" a voice called out, Beryl whipping round just in time to have the business end of a sword slice her in two from shoulder to hip, the image of an enraged pair of tear-filled blue eyes and a flash of blond hair the last thing she saw as she fell backwards, the faces of the Generals peering down at her in a circle.

"Kuroki-sensei…" the youngest called out, his voice possessing an echoing quality, as if he were speaking from a tunnel "Kuroki-sensei, are you awake?"

"Zoi…" she stammered, peering up at that youthful, almost effeminate face of the General in confusion, only to blink as common sense returned in a burst of lucidity "Ah, Mifune-kun! Was I asleep?"

"Like the dead." A snide voice noted, drawing her attention to the older blonde, 'Jadeite' from the dream, though now he seemed to be dressed in clothes designed for extreme temperatures, all of them were in fact "Honestly, I thought a bear had snuck onto the place with the snores you were making."

"That's enough, Taitou-kun…" the brunette, 'Nephrite', admonished, his expression firm even if his lips quirked at the edges "A gentlemen should know better than to mention a lady's flaws in public."

"Yeah, whatever Masato…" the blonde muttered, crossing his arms with a scowl, clearly not liking to be lectured, earning a sigh from the older male, who shook his heads in exasperation.

"Don't mind Taitou-kun, Kuroki-sensei." The younger blonde, Zoicite, assured her with a smile "He's just feeling a little cooped up in here."

"Excuse me for not liking the idea of flying through a snowstorm in this medieval death trap, Mifune." Taitou muttered, glaring at the younger blonde, only to look up as the door to the cabin opened, revealing the tall, regal form of Kunzite "Yo, Saitou, tell me we're almost there?"

"The pilot says we're set to arrive in two minutes, actually." Saitou-san declared, earning a whoop of joy from the younger man "We picked up the signal to Professor Ashford's base camp, they're guiding us in now."

"About freaking time…" Taitou muttered, though there was an excited look in his eyes as he sat up in his seat "Can't wait to get out there, how old did the old man say that cavern was?"

"He didn't, that's what we're here to find out." Saitou reminded him with a smile, before turning to face her, his eyes laced with cordial concern "Another dream, Kuroki-sensei?"

"I'm fine." She assured him, returning his smile, only to sigh as he returned to his seat, her eyes glancing out the window of the plane, gazing out at the arctic tundra before her "It was just a dream…"

That's right, it was all just a dream, there couldn't have been a kingdom on the moon, hadn't scientists already proven there was no air up there? And even if there was, how would people back then have gotten to the moon, when it took modern day astronauts three days to do so?

Shaking her head at the ludicrousness of the redheaded woman turned her attention back to her handbag as the pilots warned them that they were coming in for a landing.

There was no Moon kingdom, no generals, and certainly no Beryl. She was no sorceress or warrior maiden, she was simply Kuroki Mio, an archaeology and geology instructor at the prestigious Tokyo University, leading several of her finest students on an expedition to explore a recently discovered chasm in the arctic at the invitation of an old friend.

Now if only she could convince herself that was the case.

* * *

Later...

"Buddha's balls it's freezing out here!" Taitou swore, the older blonde shivering in his parka as they huddled in the back of the transport that was escorting them from Svalbard airport, Longyear, to their final destination, his breath rising as a hot cloud before him "Dammit, should've worn another layer."

"Oh please, it's never hot enough for you." Mifune teased, the effeminate younger blonde looking decidedly pink cheeked as he ducked behind Saitou, who simply sighed at the pairs antics "I bet you'd say the same thing if we set you alight."

"I'd take being burnt alive to freezing at the moment." Taitou muttered bitterly, earning a sigh from the others, as this was not the first time he'd complained about the cold. For some reason, Taitou simply couldn't take the cold at all, though as a result, he could handle HEAT the best out of all of them, whereas Mifune just wilted in the heat like a flower. "So who's this guy we're supposed to be meeting with anyways?"

"Professor Reuben Ashford." Saitou replied, his tone calm and regal as ever as he sat next to Kuroki-sensei, arms folded across his chest "He was a part time lecturer of ancient history at Tokyo University a few years back, he's also famous for several archaeological discoveries."

"Huh," Taitou muttered, looking impressed despite himself "Guess that explains why Noriyasu bitched so much about not being allowed to tag along."

"I think it had more to do with the fact he crashed that van of his into the Dean's Cresta again." Masato countered, the group chuckling to themselves at the memory of the balding man's shrieks as he stood over the totalled remains of his beloved car "Though officially, it was because they don't want him embarrassing the university in front of such a prominent figure."

"Can't say I blame them." Taitou snorted, the group sweatdropping at the memory of the antics the man in question could get up to if left to his own devices "I hear he's still banned from the lecture halls after hijacking that last seminar to give that whacked out presentation of his."

"Turtle Civilisation INDEED." Saitou scoffed, shaking his head in disgust, and a hint of pity, at what he perceived to be another man's folly "Personally, I don't see what Urashima-san sees in him."

"You and everyone else on campus." Masato snorted, smirking at the elder teen even as Taitou shivered, and for good reason. With her good looks and killer body, Urashima Haruka could have been one of the most popular girls at Tokyo University, were it not for the fact she was anti-social and had all the warmth and affection of a sledgehammer to the groin. Now to be fair, she wasn't that bad ALL the time, just usually whenever someone tried to chat her up, which happened a fair deal for aforementioned reasons.

The only person who seemed to get anywhere with the brooding, smoking hot young woman was the bane of the archaeological department and road safety authorities the world over, Noriyasu Seta, a man so dense it was a wonder small objects didn't gravitate around his head.

To be fair, Noriyasu had a decent head on his shoulders, when he wasn't ranting on about his so-called 'Turtle Nation' or patching it up after a particularly violent road accident, but the man simply couldn't comprehend that there were some things you just aren't supposed to do, like crash your van repeatedly into the Dean's Cresta, for instance, or go around digging up lost relics in people's back yards without permission.

That was actually another thing that made Noriyasu weird, for some reason, no matter where he was, he always seemed to stumble upon some sort of relic or artefact, usually pottery, despite there being no way for them to be in that specific location. Case in point, he once dug up an entire collection of ancient Grecian clay plates in one of the University's flowerbeds.

'If it weren't for the fact he was suspended for damaging university property, I'd call him a genius…' Masato snorted, shaking his head in amusement at the man's antics, only to look up as the sound of the engine stilled, signalling they'd arrived at their destination "Looks like we're here."

"Great…" Taitou muttered, shivering bitterly inside his parka as he pulled it tighter around him even as the doors opened, revealing a steep cliff of ice and snow, at the base of which lay an encampment, men in parkas running about making sure everything was working properly.

"Impressive…" Saitou noted, one silver brow arching in approval as he watched the professional air with which the men carried themselves "It's almost like a military operation, rather than a research team."

"I wouldn't say that near Professor Ashford if I were you," a voice opined in, the youths looking up to see a tall, dark haired teen walking towards them, his regal features betraying his European ancestry, though his lavender eyes drew quite a few looks "He HATES the military."

"You must be the professor's assistant." Kuroki-sensei noted, smiling politely as she held out a hand to the teen "Lelouch-kun, wasn't it?"

"Lelouch Lamperouge, at your service." The teen offered, accepting the hand whilst bowing politely at the waist "And I'm not the Professor's assistant, if anything you could call me his ward."

"Nonsense," the redhead countered, waving a hand dismissively "The Professor's always talking about you, the last time he spoke he told me you were already set to graduate from University."

"It's nothing to brag about." Lelouch countered, though he had the modesty to appear flustered by her praise "I simply apply myself a little more than most others when it comes to studying, that' all."

"Still, finishing early is no small feat." Saitou insisted, eyeing the younger man with a look of respect and approval "Tell me, what field were you thinking of entering?"

"Politics probably." Lelouch replied, though his tone was dismissive, as if he hadn't fully made up his mind yet "In truth I haven't decided, the Professor seems set to have me take over his philanthropic work, but 'm afraid I just don't see the value in revisiting the past outside a textbook."

"And just where would your precious textbooks be if it weren't for people going out and exploring the unknown, Lelouch?" an amused voice noted, the group turning to see a tall, older gentleman in his late fifties, dressed in an impressive great coat and walking with a cane "Don't believe him, Kuroki-kun, despite what he says, Lelouch is quite passionate about preserving our precious history."

"I only said that we should preserve so as to avoid making the same mistakes." Lelouch countered, looking flustered at being caught out, which only served to amuse the older man all the more.

"Professor Reuben Ashford I presume." Masato greeted, bowing his head to the older gentleman, though he didn't bother to hide his smile at Lelouch's embarrassment "Kuroki-sensei's told us all about you."

"Nothing goof I hope." Reuben chuckled, his blue eyes twinkling with an energy that would've better suited a man half his age, chuckling warmly as he shook them all by the hand, before turning to admire the silent form of Kuroki Mio "Ah, Kuroki-kun, it seems only yesterday you were taking notes in class, and yet here you are with students of your own."

"All thanks to your guidance, Professor Ashford." Mio assured the older gentleman, a slight flush adorning her cheeks, as despite the age difference, and the fact he was happily married, Reuben Ashford was still a very handsome man, well loved by both the staff at Tokyo University AND his former students "Is your wife here?"

"My Elsa? Come to a place like this?" Reuben chortled, shaking his head with a fond smile at the mention of his wife "No, she's currently touring the south of France with our Granddaughter and Lelouch's little sister. I do believe she mentioned taking them to her old alma mater while they were there." He clapped his hands together "But enough about that, you didn't drag these fine young men out here to freeze their balls off listening to an old man ramble on, let's get inside and I'll fill you in on what we've discovered so far."

* * *

_Several Minutes later..._

Inside the heated walls of the main lab facility, Mio and her students were being treated to cups of sinfully delicious hot cocoa prepared by Lelouch, who was currently manning the overhead projector.

"From what information we've gathered from soil samples and preliminary studies into the surrounding area, it would appear this site predates even the Hanging gardens of Babylon." Professor Ashford revealed, the older gentleman's genial nature replaced with a mask of professional calm, well befitting his status as a lecturer "However, as you can see from these pictures, the architecture involved is closer to early Grecian, what with the marbled pillaring and such." He gestured to another slide, which depicted what appeared to be several celestial bodies surrounding a painting of the earth "To further confound matters, most of the painting on the wall use the Roman symbols for the planets of the solar system."

"And you believe this to be the basis for the 'Gaia Library' you spoke of in your reports?" Masato asked, clearly intrigued by the depth of the man's research, even as the slideshow came to an end "Do you really believe it exists?"

"I've no reason not to." Professor Ashford admitted, his tone serious "There have been references throughout history to a Library, a font of knowledge that outstripped all others." He gestured to several images behind him "And not limited to one hemisphere either, from the pyramids of Egypt to ancient Babylon itself, there have been signs that indicate the library not only exists, but has been the source of many of the innovations of the ancient world."

"You mean like how the Egyptians built the pyramids and all that?" Taitou asked, his tone sceptical as he snorted into his cocoa "No offence professor, but I'll believe it when I see it."

"I wouldn't ask you to do anything else." Reuben assured him, his tone amused "In fact, I'd consider you a fool if you did, NEVER place all your eggs in one basket, gentlemen, you never know when the bottom might fall out of it." He chuckled at Taitou's look of embarrassment "Now then, that's enough rambling from this old man, Lelouch, show them to their rooms would you? We'll need to be up early tomorrow if we hope to get any work done."

"Very well, follow me please." Lelouch instructed, leading Mio and her students out of the briefing room towards the residential quarters, passing several members of the research team along the way, "The rooms are laid out so that there's two people to a room, so I'll leave to you who bunks with whom." He explained as they walked "Kuroki-san, out of deference to your position you've been afforded a private room, across the hall from your students."

"Thank you, Lelouch-san." The redhead offered, smiling at the boy even as an argument broke out between Taitou and Mifune over who got to bunk with Masato and Saitou, only to blink as she spotted something through the window.

At first she thought it was a trick of the light, her eyes playing tricks after the long flight over. But no, standing against the white backdrop was a slender figure, dressed in white, her long green hair blowing in the wind as the snow whirled around her.

"Kuroki-sensei?" Lelouch called out, startling the woman out of her daze, his lavender eyes laced with polite concern "Is everything alright?"

"Y-Yes, just fine…" Mio assured the youth, though she took a moment to compose herself nonetheless, before pointing out the window "Who's that woman out in the snow?" she asked carefully "Is she a member of the research team?"

"Woman?" Lelouch repeated, his brows rising in confusion as he blinked at her "There aren't any women on the research team, what on earth are you talking about?"

"Then who's that out there in the snow?" Mio demanded, pointing out the window, only to blink as nothing but the barren arctic wasteland stretched out before her "But…I saw…"

"It's probably jet lag." Lelouch assured her, his tone laced with concern as he directed her towards the door to her room "Get some rest, I'll bring you something to eat later."

"Yes…thank you…" Mio offered, the redhead allowing herself to be led to her room, deciding to follow Lelouch's advice and hit the sack early, as it was clear she was still suffering from the jet lag. After all, people certainly didn't go around vanishing into thin air, not in real life.

* * *

_That Night... _

_'Come…'_

Mio's eyes snapped open, her breath hitching in her chest as she lay there beneath the thick woollen blanket she'd been provided with. She been deep asleep, a dreamless sleep thankfully, when that strange, tempting voice had called out to her, the feeling of another mind, alien and yet inexplicably familiar, brushing against her own jarring her back into consciousness.

_'Come…'_

As if in a trance, she rose from her bed, pulling on her hastily discarded clothing and outer protection with an urgency that would've been alarming had she been in her right mind, some distant part of her noting that it was dark outside, a covered plate of sandwiches and a canteen resting against her nightstand.

None of these things mattered to the redhead however, the only thing that held her attention was the voice, the voice that was at the same time both terrifying and enticing, like the whisper of the serpent from the garden of Eden.

Pulling on her boots, the redheaded professor slipped out into the darkened halls of the residential quarters, moving swiftly and silently, with a grace she never recalled possessing, though that hardly stopped her from using it to its fullest as she slipped out into the night, the icy bite of the air causing her cheeks to redden as she made her way towards the entrance of the cave in the rock face where Professor Ashford had been planning to take them come the dawn.

Had she been in her right state of mind, she might have wondered why there was no-one guarding the entrance, or why the barrier which should have impeded her path was down, but she wasn't and so did not hesitate to cross it, climbing up the roughly hewn path, slipping occasionally on the ice, making her way slowly up to the cavern in the rock face.

'I can't see a thing…' she muttered, grimacing as she made her way deeper into the cavern, never thinking for a moment how stupid she was being. Had she been in her right mind, she might have at least stopped to pick up a rope and a light, or even leave a message telling them where she'd gone, but the voice was growing stronger now, stronger and more insistent, as if she were drawing closer with each step, each passing breath.

_'This way…'_ it beckoned, as sweet as honey, as hot as a kiss, as deadly as a viper's venom, the words guiding her through the darkness better than her eyes ever could, until finally, with one last stumbling step, she stepped into a massive chamber, her eyes widening at the sight that lay before her.

It was a palace, perfectly preserved against time by the mass of frozen rock that surrounded it on all sides, its walls and pillars fashioned from a material that even in the gloom of the cavern seemed to emit some trace of light.

"I know this place…" she whispered, shivering at the sound of her own voice even as she ran a tentative finger over the stonework, ignoring the biting cold at her fingertips as she moved deeper into the palace, moving instinctively, as if she'd been here her whole life "This is…!"

The name escaped her, literally dancing on the very tip of her tongue, the redhead struggling to remember even as she came upon a set of massive stone doors, the carving in their centre almost obscured by the dust of ages, though she could make out the general shape of the earth in the background. Reaching forward, she brushed her hand against the carving, as if searching for some means of opening the doors, only to jerk back as they opened of their own accord, her eyes widening as the darkness beyond surged out to meet her.

* * *

_Men's Quarters, Ashford base... _

Saitou awoke with a jolt, the silver haired teen's brow adorned with a cold sweat as he stared around the room he shared with Mifune, Masato having opted to bunk with Taitou in order to ensure they got SOME measure of peace.

"Did you feel it too?" Mifune called out, the younger blond eyeing the elder with a look of concern, his features unnervingly pale in the moonlight , though Saitou was certain his own weren't much better off "That surge of dark power…"

"I did…" the elder blonde muttered, looking up just as the door to their room opened, admitting a pale, grim faced Masato and an equally troubled Taitou "You two as well?"

"So I wasn't imagining things…" Masato muttered, the sole brunet looking troubled as he closed the door behind them "I had a bad feeling about this trip for some time now…"

"Tell me about it…" Taitou muttered, rubbing his hair in frustration "I mean, humans suddenly stumbling across the Gaia Library after so many centuries? It would just figure something would go wrong, wouldn't it?"

"Calm yourselves." Saitou ordered, his tone commanding, meant more for Mifune and Taitou than Masato, though the brunet clearly took it to heart anyway "Regardless of the situation, this is the closest lead we have to finding HIM, since we all awoke in this timeline. Threat or not, I will not sacrifice that lead for anything."

The others nodded solemnly, their features lined with the same look of determination that adorned his own, understandable really, when you considered the importance of their task, the sheer magnitude of the responsibility resting on their shoulders, which would have broken the hearts of lesser men.

A knock on the door caused them to tense, Masato gesturing for the others to take cover while he crossed to the portal, crouching near it, ready to assault whoever tried to break in, only to blink as the door opened to reveal a worried looking Lelouch Lamperouge "Lelouch-san? What's the matter?"

"Masato-san? What're you doing here?" the younger brunet stammered, only to shake his head, deciding to put the fours presence together to the side for now "Never mind that for now, have you seen Kuroki-sensei? She's not in her room and the sentries at the cavern have gone missing."

Masato barely had time to send a look of alarm towards Saitou when a wave of unopposed malice washed over them, followed swiftly by the sound of explosions cutting through the air, the group dashing to the window just in time to see one of other buildings go up in a blaze of glory.

"That's Professor Ashford's lab!" Lelouch yelled, the teen racing out into the hall before Masato could stop him, the brunet looking over his shoulder at Saitou for confirmation before following after the distraught teen, the other three hot on his heels, racing out of the residential building and into the orange lit night sky.

It was a massacre, all around pieces of building and vehicles lay everywhere, as if someone had set off a bomb in the centre of the building. In the darkness, they could hear the roar of the flames, the hissing of the snow as it melted, the howls of the men as they were burned alive and the dying echo of the blast.

"Good God…" Lelouch stammered, looking sick to his stomach at the sight of the destruction before him "Who…WHAT could have done this?"

"I did." A voice called out from above, it's tone sharp and mocking, filled with dark amusement that sent a shiver down the teen's spine just before something rammed into him with the force of a freight train, his body bent in a sickening shape as he was flung into the darkness and out of sight.

"LELOUCH-SAN!" Mifune called out, his eyes wide with alarm even as the rest of the group went on their guard, looking up at the sound of mocking laughter to see a figure hovering above them.

It was a woman, made obviously clear by the fact she was dressed in a tight blue dress that left little to the imagination, hugging her body in all the right places, leaving her shoulders bare, save for two strange little spikes, whilst drawing particular attention to her considerable bust. In one hand, she carried a massive clawed sceptre, and a strange black grown adorned her head resting atop a mane of fiery red hair that trailed behind her like a wave.

It was her face, however, that captivated the men, not for its beauty, for she was certainly rather comely, nor for the madness that shone from it, and it was quite offsetting let me tell you, but for its familiarity, for despite the manic leer that adorned it, and the inhuman eyes that gaze out past it, it was clearly the face the group knew all too well.

"Kuroki…Sensei?" Saitou muttered, staring at the woman in shock, only to scowl as the woman's lips quirked mockingly, revealing pointed canine fangs "No…you're not Kuroki Mio…" he countered, his tone cold as he glared up at the redhead before him, mentally kicking himself for not recognizing her earlier "There never was one, was there?"

"As expected of the Leader of the Middle Eastern forces…" the redhead applauded, her tone laced with mocking approval as she ran her eyes over the group "It's been a long time, General Kunzite, I see you've managed to reform the Shitennou while I was asleep."

"Beryl…" Taitou snarled, his features lined with righteous anger as he made to step forwards, only Masato and Mifune's hands keeping him from doing so, though they too levelled glares of hatred at the woman "You bitch, you've got some nerve showing your face to us!"

"Oh come now, Jadeite, don't tell me you're still carrying a grudge after all this time?" she smiled coyly at the group "Really now, and after I went to all the trouble of getting spruced up for our reunion…"

"You broke Metalia's seal, didn't you." Masato muttered, his tone calm despite the anger in his eyes and his grip on the struggling Taitou "You allowed that twisted monster back into your heart, didn't you?"

"But of course," Mio, or rather, BERYL scoffed, waving a hand dismissively, as if the man had said something completely retarded "I can hardly reclaim our lost empire while I was sleeping, could I?" she smiled darkly at them "Speaking of which, I could REALLY use some help with that…"

"The only HELP you'll receive from us is in reaching the afterlife!" Saitou declared, waving a hand to the side as he glared at the woman "We will not fall for your lies a second time you witch, we did so once, to our shame, and our prince paid the price." At his words, the other three seemed to calm down, though the anger in their eyes remained constant "Rest assured Beryl, if you plan to assault the earth as you did the Moon Kingdom, then we, the Four Kings, shall stand against you!"

"Such pointless heroics…" Beryl sighed, only to raise her staff, a light shining from the crystal ball resting on the claws illuminating her features, causing a massive shadow to be cast behind her "I suppose a remedial lesson in manners is necessary!"

The group grimaced, bracing themselves for the oncoming assault, their eyes locked on the mass of darkness behind Beryl as it formed into a massive shadow, so wide it seemed to blot out the stars overhead, the sound of mocking laughter soon followed by their screams of agony.

* * *

Off to the side...

A solitary figure stood against the icy backdrop of the arctic tundra, her white clothing fluttering in the winds along with her bright green hair. She stood, solemnly, as the screams of the four young men tore through the air, her golden eyes impassive, as if their suffering meant nothing to her, and in truth, it didn't, as she had been her far longer than they had, and had long detached herself from the weaknesses of human society.

"And so once again, the Four Kings fall to the Queen of Darkness…" she muttered, her tone as impassive as if she were talking about the weather "Really, what did they expect, challenging her head on like that without their full powers?"

That being said, this left her in a bit of a quandary. Now that Beryl had awoken, it was only a matter of time before she turned her attentions towards the Earth, with it's rich, untapped sources of energy. To do that, she would need an army, and with her seizing of the Generals, she'd received the keys to obtain just that right off the bat.

"Stupid failsafe's…" she muttered, scowling in distaste as the screams died away, "I told them I could handle things myself, haven't I always? But no, they had to make it so the King and his men had direct access…as if the enemy never thought to brainwash people from time to time."

Shaking her head, the figure in white turned and began to walk away from the ruined camp. There was nothing she could do here, she lacked the power and the resources, and with the Generals captured she needed to find new allies, preferably ones with a little more resistance to being brainwashed by skanky possessed redheads."

"Hm?" she wondered, tilting her head to the side as the sound of pained breathing reached her ears. Walking towards the source, she found herself gazing down at the broken form of the boy from earlier, who had accompanied the Generals out during the initial attack.

'Ouch…' she muttered, eyeing his broken form with something akin to pity in her eyes 'I'm no doctor, but I'm fairly certain the human body was never meant to bend like that…in so many places.' She shrugged offhandedly, before reaching up, opening the segment of her outfit that covered her breasts, removing a single black, cuboid device, not unlike a memory stick, with a sticker on one side with an elaborate letter Z, only the tail and head of the letter had been lengthened and rounded so they almost touched, making it appear as if it were a slashed '0' 'Still, waste not want not…'

So saying, she knelt down, rolling the mangled corpse over so that it was lying on its back, wiping the blood from the admittedly handsome features with an almost tender expression on his face. 'So young…' she muttered, and for a moment, hesitation warred with her iron control, only to be quenched, as this was no time for sentiment, tearing open his blood-stained, tattered clothing to reveal his chest, before pressing the button on the memory stick.

"ZERO!" it declared in a deep, masculine voice, the woman raising it above the youth's heart for a second, before jabbing it down, the memory stick embedding itself in his chest, sinking into it as a black and purple bioelectric glow covered the body.

She steppwed back, knowing instinctively that what was about to happen wasn't going to be pretty, and yet she did not look away as the youth's eyes snapped open, his lavender eyes glowing an intense red as a scream unlike anything the human vocal chords had been designed to create tore from his lips, his body, bent and battered by Beryl's assault, righting itself with a sickening crack as he contorted on the ground as if he'd been jabbed with a live wire his screams echoing across the barren landscape for sever agonizing seconds, before finally coming to a halt, the youth slowly sitting up with a grunt.

"Welcome back to the land of the living." The green haired woman offered, her tone almost amused as she watched the youth get to his feet "How do you feel, Zero?"

The youth looked up, and a wry smirk, filled with confidence, maturity, and just a hint of amusement formed on his face, a smile that was both alien and yet suited the youth's face perfectly, as if it belonged there in another life, his formerly Amber eyes now glowing a bright crimson, the pupils covered with a crest like a bird in flight.

"Reborn."

* * *

And so begins what i am tentatively calling Codename: Skull, for now anyway.

Basic plot Rundown: Beryl has broken the seal on Queen Metalia and regained her memories, seizing control of the Four Kings (Shintennou), as well as the Gaia Library, the source of all the Earth's knowledge. Fortunately, C.C, who you could technically call the Phillip of the series, managed to slip away without being seen, meaning Beryl and her Generals are forced to rely on whatever memories they can pull out of the Library and mass produce to create their army. To counter this, C.C revives Lelouch with the Zero Memory, turning him into her champion and means of battling the Dark Kingdom's Doppants.

Now to address certain plot points which may arise from all this, should this fic get written.

1. Why would Beryl need an army of Doppants? The answer, to me anyway, is quite simple: Doppants are created from Gaia Memories, which in turn are fragments of the TRUE Gaia Memory, from which all earth's knowledge is located. In other words, the True Gaia Memory, and by proxy, the mass produced memories, draw their powers from Planet Earth.

Herin lies the genius behind using a Doppant over a youma: The Senshi's powers, at their current level, are designed to take on Youma. Doppants, being powered by the planet itself (or at least a fraction of it's energies) are in the same class as a Senshi, and are in fact technically STRONGER, as unlike Mars, Mercury, or even Moon, they are actually STANDING on the source of their power, meaning it's closer to home.

Some people might nitpick this and point out that Tuxedo Kamen/Mask is still pretty weak despite being the PRINCE of earth, and possessing the Golden Crystal. I counter this by pointing out that Mamoru isn't using, at least not in this fic, his true power, which will be revealed much, MUCH later. In the meantime, rest assured that not ALL of the enemies will be Doppants, as the Senshi still need time to shine on their own, the Riders will simply be there to help out a lot more often.

2. If C.C used the Zero memory to revive Lelouch, shouldn't this be called Codename: Zero? As I said, the title is tenuous at best at the moment, it could change depending on a matter of elements, though the Zero memory plays an important role in all this, rest assured.

3. Is this going to be the same thing as your Skull/Geass/Fairy Tail crossover? Yes and No, Yes, this is a Lelouch as Skull fic, but unlike that one, Lelouch won't be using multiple Gaia Memories, (C.C's a skinflint) though he will receive several upgrades as time goes by.

4. Which season is this set during? Some of you might be asking why I would assume this is a question. Some of you might have missed the subtle little hint I left in the title. For those who didn't, give youtselves a cookie, for those who did, this is where things get a little different, as I'm starting off not in the timeline if Sailor MOON, but during the brief period when the only Senshi fighting was Sailor V.

As such, a lot of libterties will be taken with the plot, as let's face it, while entertaining, V's enemies were a little too shoujo for most people, and some were actually usedto influence the anime youma that Moon faced during her initial romp.

5. Will other Riders be making an appearance? Yes, though not until much, much later.

6. What pairings are there? Unlike GSL, I'd like to think the pairing in this one will be Lulu x Mina, but let's face it, with Lelouch's sexbeam (Copyright of all badass shounen heroes, as patented by Alucard) he's literally a walking babe magnet. So if you've got suggestions, by all means, send them through.

7. How far will this go? If it gets out? Let's just say the Sky won't be the limit...


	26. Code Devil: Zero's Awakening

Hello all you happy Reviewers out there.

As many of you can probably tell, this is yet another idea I'm posting in order to clear up some space in the ol' noggin.

Enjoy.

* * *

Code Devil: Zero's Awakening.

The Library was dark, filled with the scent of dust and old paper, the kind of smell only found in places that hadn't been inhabited for some time.

Unsurprising, really, not many people would risk their lives to find this place, the journey alone had been the death of many an inquisitive mind, enough so that any who made the attempt were written off as dead the moment they left civilisation behind.

It was therefore a credit to the young man's abilities that not only was he standing in this hallowed place of learning at all, but that there wasn't a scratch on him, his white bodysuit, which bared his shoulders for maximum freedom of movement, a stark contrast to the dark, dusty bookshelves which towered over him. In one hand he held a sheathed katana, at least three shaku long and sealed within a blue sheath, while the other held a book up to his emerald eyes.

'Not this one…' he muttered, his expression unreadable as he returned the book he was examining to its proper place on the shelf, his emerald eyes already turning to its neighbour even as his ears picked up the sound of approaching footsteps in the shadows "I know you're there." He called out "Either come out or go away, I'm not in the mood for games."

"Your senses do you credit." The stalker, a man as it turned out, applauded, stepping into the light, revealing a tall, well-dressed man of western origin, European stock unless he missed his guess, dressed in the clothing of a noble, a book held in one hand, his long red hair curled around his strong, aristocratic features as he eyed the younger man "Forgive my intrusion, it is so rare for me to find anyone else here."

"Are you the Librarian then?" the young man asked, not taking his eye off the man even as he continued to examine the shelves, returning each book he picked up almost instantly to its proper place.

"You could say that." The man admitted, lips quirking cryptically as he continued to advance, his eyes lighting up as he espied the book in the youth's hands "It would appear you're interested in the old texts," he noted pryingly "a rarity in one so young…perhaps I can be of assistance?"

"I'm fine, thank you…" the youth countered, his expression carefully neutral as he continued to search the shelf with his free hand, his stance calm, though his grip on the Katana seemed to tighten briefly.

"Might you be looking for the Book of Ancient Legends?" the red-clad man pressed, his cryptic smile widening ever so slightly as the teen's rhythm paused for the briefest of seconds, before returning to his vigil "The tales of the Demon Warrior Akasha?"

"That's not what I'm looking for…" the youth countered, returning the book he was holding to the shelf, perhaps a little more forcefully than he'd intended, as the entire bookcase seemed to rattle briefly "Please leave."

"No? A pity…" the man pressed, ignoring the teen's obvious discomfort, or perhaps even taking some perverse enjoyment out of it "Such an interesting tale it is…to think a Devil, one of the strongest in Hell's Army, would turn on his own kind for the sake of humanity…"

The youth said nothing, as he'd heard the old tales a hundred times since childhood, if not more.

"A truly fascinating tale…" the redheaded man noted, turning the pages of the book in his hand tenderly, as if fearful of bending the pages "Alas, it ends too soon, for while there are as many legends of Akasha as there are Stars in the sky, it has been many years since the Dark Knight walked the lands."

"Sealing off his powers made him mortal." The emerald eyed youth pointed out, his expression calm, as if commenting on the weather "He chose to live as a mortal for the rest of his days…"

"Indeed," the redheaded man noted, eyeing the youth with that calculating stare "Such a waste…all that power, the power of a GOD, and he cast it aside so easily." He smiled "Then again, it would not be the first time a woman led a man to destruction."

"What do you mean?" the youth wondered, frowning in confusion as he turned to regard the man before him for the first time, noting the red of the man's eyes with some trepidation, the trademark signs of one who dabbled in dark magic.

"Do you never wonder, boy, why it was that Akasha turned his back on his own kind?" the redheaded man pressed, his tone insistent "Why would a Devil, of power equal to their Emperor, if not greater, side with humans, who since time immemorial have reviled demons and all associated with them? People have debated the matter for years, but the answer is quite simple: He was entranced."

"Entranced?" the youth repeated, staring at the man in understandable confusion, tilting the head to the side, as if hoping he'd heard wrong "You mean…he was under a spell?"

"Indeed…" the redhead continued "A most devious spell, though not the sort you seem to be thinking of." He shook a finger "No, it was a more commonplace spell, the same spell that drove Adam to eat of the Fruit: The Charms of a woman."

"I don't have time for this…" the youth muttered, shaking his head in disgust as he turned his back on the redhead once more "Keep your rumormongering to yourself…I have no time for baseless rumours."

"You would be wise not to turn your nose up at rumours, my boy…" the redhead countered, his tone smug "After all, it is said that only one with the blood of Sparda can open the barriers between worlds…where the power Sparda so readily cast off remains."

The youth paused, his shoulders, which had been tense since the man's arrival, relaxing, ever so slightly, as he turned to regard the older man with one emerald eye.

"Go on."

* * *

_Early morning, May 8, 2004, Area 11 (Tokyo)_

"And that's Checkmate…" a young, cultured voice declared, a slender hand moving the Black King piece to claim it's opposing twin on the white side. The speaker, a tall, thin young man in his early twenties, sat back in his seat, his hands folded across his lap as the shocked whispers broke out amongst the onlookers, his ebony locks framing his regal features, which were currently leveling a coy smile at his opponent, an older man dressed much like he was, in the uniform of Area 11's Public Security Section 09, which consisted of a black muscle shirt over a pair of fatigue pants and combat boots "Another game, sir?"

"Gods no…" the older man chuckled good naturedly, shaking his head even as the other onlookers muttered to themselves in disappointment "You're something else Lelouch-kun, I haven't had a challenge like this in years."

"I'm always open for a rematch." Lelouch offered, smiling politely at the chief, only to glance up at the clock, frowning as he got to his feet, grabbing his utility belt, to which was holstered a standard issue .45 caliber automatic pistol, along with several spare clips of ammunition, and wrapping it around his waist "Though I'll have to cut it short for today…I have an appointment."

"Not like you to turn down a challenge Lamperouge." A redheaded officer called Tamaki called out, his tone mocking "What's the matter? Got a hot date lined up?"

"Something like that." Lelouch admitted, smirking to himself as he pulled on his blue, bulletproof trench coat, the trademark of Section 09, before marching out of the changing room, through the busy halls of the main office, nodding at Nina the receptionist in passing, before stepping out into the busy streets of Area 11, wincing slightly in the sunlight.

Like many of the other Areas, Area 11 was built on the remains of the nation that, at one point, had been called Japan, which like all the other great nations of the world, had been decimated millennia ago by what was being tentatively referred to as 'Judgment Day', the day the Devil Emperor V.V led his legions of horror into the human world, seeking to conquer and destroy.

Humanity fought back, of course, if there was one thing humans were good at, it was reacting to violence with violence after all, but they were simply outclassed, both in strength, and in numbers, for the realms of the underworld were not like the realms of the living, and the denizens within were rarely vulnerable to the weapons of man.

It was a war that had lasted two Millennia, two thousand years of suffering and terror that would've made the most bloodthirsty dictator roll in his grave. Slowly, but surely, the humans began to lose ground, their major cities wiped out, the species driven almost to the point of extinction, for what V.V could not control, he destroyed.

But then, just as the world was on the verge of collapse, just when it seemed there would be no salvation, someone from the Underworld woke up to justice, and stood up against the legions of V.V, for the sake of the human race.

His name was Akasha, a Devil Knight of unfathomable power, power enough to rival that of the Emperor himself, so much so that even BEFORE his rebellion, there were rumours that V.V feared the Dark Knight more than anything else.

With his sword, Akasha shut the portal to the demonic realm and sealed the evil entities off from ours, sacrificing his own demonic powers to do so. From that moment on, he quietly reigned over the human world, and continued to preserve harmony until his death.

Personally, Lelouch believed it was all a load of crock, thought up by some crackpot Cultist, as there were no traces that this 'Akasha' ever existed. Far more likely that the collective nations of the world had simply gotten into a pissing contest with one another, and had used their, now outlawed, nuclear stockpiles in a bid to bring the argument to a close.

Not that it mattered now, the world was a better, if smaller place, the surviving Areas more interested in maintaining the status quo than testing the waters, lest it turned out there be sharks waiting for them.

Which is where Lelouch, and the other members of Public Security Section 09 came in. Officially billed as a 'Public Security' organization, it was in actuality the counter-terrorist network and anti-crime unit for Area 11. Its operatives were allowed to act with or without government consent as they are almost unknown to the public eye. They had access to some of the best hardware in the country, allowing them to keep abreast of almost any problem, be it petty theft or illegal immigrants, dine and dashing or drive-by shooting.

Lelouch had joined the department in his teens, one of the youngest recruits to ever wear the blue and black, and despite that, had quickly risen to the rank of Lieutenant thanks to his quick, analytical mind and his ability to take command under pressure. He had singlehandedly taken down the so called Association to Promote and Preserve the TRUE Japanese Culture, which turned out to be little more than a racket for Slave Traders and Drug Pushers, most notably the highly addictive Refrain, and the Lakeside Hotel incident, where he'd successfully led a crack team of agents to take down the ex-military group that had taken the hotel hostage.

"Yo, Lelouch!" a voice called out, the Lt. looking up to see a young man in a mechanic's uniform waving at him from the parking lot, where he was kneeling next to the Lt.'s ride "All done for the day?"

"Rivalz." Lelouch greeted with a smile, the two had known each other for some time, even before Lelouch transferred to the Academy "How's the engine?"

"Purring like a kitten." Rivalz grinned, wiping off his fingers and patting the gas-tank of the motorcycle and sidecar lovingly "Though you gotta take it easier on her man, this thing's a classic, remember? You just can't GET the parts anymore."

"I'll keep that in mind…" Lelouch noted, smiling to himself as he trailed a gloved finger over the handlebars of the machine, only to pause as his cellphone went off, the Lt pulling it out and snapping it open without looking at the name "Lamperouge."

"Big Brother where are you?" the voice of an angel implored over the speakers, more concerned than upset, though the Lt. still grimaced as if struck "You said you'd be back in time for lunch."

"I'm sorry, Nunnally." Lelouch offered with absolute sincerity, as he could never lie to his younger sibling about anything "I lost track of time at the office, I'll be home soon though. How was school?"

"It was alright." Nunnally admitted, the younger Lamperouge's tone more at ease now that she'd confirmed her elder brother was FINALLY on his way "Alice-chan won the track meet, I came in second."

"That's my girl." Lelouch smiled, ever the doting older sibling, much to Rivalz amusement, as the elder Lamperouge couldn't have looked prouder even if she'd come first "We'll have to celebrate tonight, is Sayoko there?"

"Mmhm, she's cooking dinner right now." Nunnally confirmed, the sound of a distant voice emerging from the speaker for a moment before she returned "She said she's making Curry for lunch."

"Sounds delicious…" Lelouch chuckled, though internally he winced, as Sayoko, while the pinnacle of housekeeping and loyal to a fault, liked her curry to have a 'little kick' to it, which meant that anyone who dug into it unprepared was likely to be rushed to the burn ward at the hospital. However, before he could ask his sibling to try and curb the caretaker's zeal, he felt a shiver race down his spine, his head snapping towards the centre of the city almost instinctively.

"Lelouch?" Rivalz wondered, the grease monkey eyeing the Lt. with a look of concern as he continued to stare off into the distance "Something wrong?"

Lelouch said nothing, simply continued to stare off into the distance, as if half expecting something to appear on the horizon, his lavender eyes set in a scowl that could've frozen nitrogen, only to look up as the radio attached to his hip, went off with a sharp burst of static.

"THIS IS CAPTAIN SHOUGO ASAHINA!" a voice called out, the sound of automatic gunfire roaring in the background "WE HAVE A SITUATION DELTA IN THE CITY SQUARE! REQUESTING IMMEDIATE BACKUP!"

"Damn…!" Lelouch hissed, scowling at the radio, his teeth clenched even as Rivalz paled in horror at the declaration. A Situation Delta referred to an armed outside force running amok in the city, not unlike the Lakeside incident, only this one was worse, as it meant they weren't resorting to hostages, and were instead firing at will.

"Lelouch!" Nunnally called over the phone, her terrified tone snapping the elder Lamperouge out of his thoughts like a slap to the face "What's going on? I hear gunshots!"

"Nunnally!" Lelouch barked, his tone urgent, hoping to drive home the importance of his words to his younger sibling even as he mounted his bike "Listen to me, I want you to stay with Sayoko, do you hear me? Do NOT leave the Apartment under any circumstances. Stay away from the windows, lock yourself in and wait till I come home, alright?"

"Okay…" Nunnally stammered, her tone shaky even as she said it, though Lelouch could tell she was trying hard to be brave for him, Sayoko's soothing tones in the background no doubt helping to bolster her resolve "Be careful, big brother."

"Always." Lelouch promised, snapping his phone shut before starting the engine on his bike, the recently repaired ride roaring like a tiger in response "Rivalz, get inside and alert the chief and the others."

"Lelouch wait!" Rivalz called out, reaching out to the teen desperately, as if to hold him back, but Lelouch was already riding out, the blue haired mechanic looking on in concern as his friend tore out of the parking lot like a man possessed "Be careful…"

* * *

_Area 11,_ City Square...

"I repeat! This is Captain Shougo Asahina, requesting IMMEDIATE backup!" the beleaguered Captain urged, yelling into his radio in order to be heard over the sound of gunfire and the screams of dying men.

"Captain!" one of his men called out, his voice tinged with panic as he peered at the man from behind the cover of a parked car "What the hell are these things?"

Now there was the million dollar question, a question that the bespectacled Captain wished he had an answer for even as he barked at the soldier to keep firing.

He and his team had been carrying out an investigation into a probable drug ring that was supposedly taking place in the back alleys of the square. Intel had picked up proof that someone was trading in Refrain, a narcotic that stimulated certain parts of the brain, allowing people to revisit pleasant memories as if they were having a dream.

The problem was, like all drugs, it was cripplingly addictive, so much so that people had been known to waste away as a result of an extended trip down memory lane, too caught up in the past to focus on the present, namely the fact they needed to eat, sleep and BREATHE.

Normally Shougo HATED having to deal with such things, it gave him a bad taste in his mouth to see people in such a state, but he'd gladly take that over the HELL that was unfurling before his eyes.

Marching towards them were several pale, bow-legged figures, dressed in tattered black cloaks reminiscent of the stereotypical western depiction of a Grim Reaper, an image which was heavily aided by the massive scythes they held in their hands.

Now Shougo was of Samurai descent, and so would be the first to admit that a scythe, in the hands of a master, could be a deadly enemy. But even a novice could tell from looking at the wielders that they were clearly hopped up on something, their vacant expressions and off-white pallor said it all really.

It was therefore most disconcerting when the blasted things continued to advance towards them, heedless of the gunfire that was peppering their wraith-like frames.

"DAMN IT ALL!" Shougo cursed, the Captain firing another burst into the enemy, hoping to ward them off, only to cry out as one of them, having gotten within striking distance, lashed out with its weapon, a gash appearing on his chest as he fell back, still firing.

"Captain!" His men called out, those not focussed on the task at hand or currently expiring beneath the scythes of the enemy that is "Are you all right?"

"Never mind me, keep shooting!" Shougo swore, clenching his teeth as he brought his own weapon up, emptying round after round into his attacker's stomach, noting with confusion that, rather than blood, it seemed to be leaking SAND of all things "Dammit! The hell are you?"

"INCOMING!" a voice barked out, Shougo and his assailant looking up as the roar of a motorcycle engine filled the air, something heavy ramping up the side of the upturned car, the scythe wielding psycho letting out a cry of horror, or perhaps shock, he really couldn't tell, as a motorcycle and side car descended on it from high, crushing it to literal powder before screeching to a halt. "Asahina! Are you alright!"

"Lamperouge!" Shougo barked, the bespectacled Captain torn between his annoyance at having to be rescued by the younger, foreign Lieutenant, and his relief at his swift arrival "Took your sweet time!"

"Traffic was a bitch." Lelouch countered, whipping out his sidearm and unloading a round into the brain of one of the attackers as it tried to sneak up on him, the creature stumbling back with a shriek before exploding into sand "The hell?"

"No time!" Shougo swore, the Captain assessing the situation instantly, propping himself against the car as he tossed a discarded assault rifle at the Lieutenant "Resume fire! Aim for the heads!"

"Yes sir!" the men responded, the surviving members of Asahina's squad resuming their attacks, only this time, they were aiming specifically between the glowing red eyes of their targets, who stilled their once unimpeded advance to deflect the shots with their weapons.

"The hell is going on here?" Lelouch demanded as he reloaded the weapon, appropriating ammunition from a fallen soldier "What are these things?"

"Was hoping you could tell ME!" Shougo admitted, the bespectacled Captain providing the Lieutenant with covering fire as he reloaded, the two of them picking off any cloaked weirdoes that got too close to their position "Shit! Where's backup when you need it?"

"Wish I could tell you…" Lelouch shot back, firing back into the seemingly dauntless horde even as the last of Asahina's soldiers went down with a scream and a fountain of blood "Shit! Running low on ammo here!"

"I'm out!" Shougo swore, the bespectacled Captain tossing the empty assault rifle aside as he drew his sidearm, aiming for headshots as he glared at his enemy "Die damn you!"

"Get down." A calm voice ordered, the two officers ducking, almost instinctively, as a tall figure in a Section 09 uniform leapt over their makeshift barricade, a flash of steel heralding a chorus of shrieks as the closest attackers dissolved into sand.

"Colonel Todoh!" Shougo called out, Lelouch letting out a sigh of relief as he espied the sword wielding Field Commander of Section 09, Kyoshiro Todoh. Normally, he would have questioned the sanity of someone who took a sword to a gunfight, but this was clearly NOT a gunfight, and in any case, he'd once seen the Colonel slice a bullet in half before it could hit him, so he was hardly going to call the man out on it here.

"You let your guard down, Asahina." The Colonel noted, not looking at the men as he eyed the now wary creatures before him with his hawk-like gaze "You need more training."

"You got me…" Shougo chuckled, only to blanch in horror as several more of the cloaked abominations rose out from nowhere, their weapons lashing out at the Colonel from all sides "Colonel Todoh!"

But Todoh was already moving batting the oncoming weapons aside with the sheathe of his sword, sheathing the blade with one movement, only to draw it in a flash in the next, neatly bisecting an airborne target that dissolved into sand even as he spun, cleaving another monstrosities' head from its shoulders, blocking another strike to his back with the sheathe before spinning, knocking the creature's foot from under it, his sword slicing through it even as it fell through the air.

* * *

_While Todoh faces down the enemies..._

Lelouch and Shougo could only look on in amazement, watching as their Commanding Officer did on his own, with a single sword, what a team of highly trained team of Section 09 Agents armed with assault rifles couldn't.

"Whoa…" Shougo whispered, his eyes wide with amazement even as he continued to press a hand to his chest, Lelouch working to treat his wound in the window they'd been given "I knew the chief was good but this…you can't even see the blade!"

'Actually, I can…' Lelouch countered, but even so, it was a sight to behold, the pair looking on as Todoh, with a roar that wouldn't have been out of place during the battle of Sekigahara, rushed the horde of enemies, his sword a whirling dervish of steel death, the Colonel coming to a halt at the end of the gauntlet, his foes falling to pieces, literally, even as he sheathed his sword.

"Asahina, Lamperouge…" the Colonel called out, the two officers snapping to attention as he turned to face them, his tone calm, his features professional, as if he HADN'T just gone toe-to-toe with creatures from Hell itself "You two alright?"

"Asahina's a little banged up, but nothing too serious." Lelouch assured the man, still unable to process what he'd just seen, eyeing the piles of sand warily "What the hell were those things? Where the hell did they come from?"

"You just answered your own question there, Lamperouge." Todoh returned, ignoring the curious look the LT. sent his way in favour of eyeing their surroundings "What I'd like to know, is what a pack of scythe wielding Demons are doing in the middle of my city."

"Demons?" Lelouch repeated, the younger officer blinking up at the older man incredulously, wondering if he'd heard right, he'd certainly never known Todoh to crack a joke "You can't be serious sir?"

"As a heart attack." Todoh countered, his gaze never leaving the piles of sand, only to stumble slightly as the ground shook beneath them.

"Oh great, an earthquake?" Asahina muttered, the bespectacled Captain grimacing as he fought to keep his wound covered, Lelouch leaning against the barricade for support, while Todoh maintained his footing, the Colonel glaring off into the distance as if expecting something to appear.

Sure enough, a fissure appeared in the middle of the street, the Section 09 officers, with the exception of Todoh, stumbling as something HUGE burst from the ground in a cloud of smoke and debris, showering dirt and tarmac down like rain as it rose into the sky like the proverbial Tower of Babel, every car alarm in the area going off from the impact.

"What the…hell?" Lelouch stammered, peering up at the impossibly high structure in disbelief as it cast a shadow over them all like some dauntless deity. But it wasn't it's sudden arrival that unsettled him, well, no more than one would expect that is, no, what truly unnerved him was the fact that, somehow, deep inside himself, he felt as if he KNEW the dark tower, as if he'd seen it before.

"It can't be…" Todoh muttered, and for the first time, Lelouch saw the Colonel's composed visage crack, his grip on his katana sheath tightening to the point the Lt. could swear he heard it creak dangerously "How could this happen?"

"Sir!" Asahina yelled, snapping the two men out of their thoughts, the bespectacled Captain pointing in alarm "Look! Up there!"

The men turned, Lelouch flinching as a cloaked figure, far larger than the one's they'd fought so far, landed on the roof of an upturned bus nearby. Unlike the one's they'd seen thus far, this horror was clad in robes as black as night, a massive scythe of glowing blue fire held in one hand, a small bundle tucked under the other.

Lelouch froze, his blood, which seconds before had been pumping so hard he could HEAR it, literally turning to ice as he stared at the figure tucked under the reaper's arm, a small, fragile figure, dressed in a girl's school uniform, her long, as brown hair trailing in waves over her angelic features.

"NUNNALLY!"

* * *

And I'll leave off there.

Essentially, this is a Crossver between Code Geass and the Devil May Cry franchice, with a touch of Onimusha and other epic capcom games mixed into the works.

Most of you probably already noticed I based the initial encounter of Lelouch and the Demons from Jacques' (Jean Reno's character) first encounter with the Genma, except with a touch of Todoh brand awesomeness in place of Samanosuke at the end. (Yes, Todoh killed the Hell Prides like Vergil killed the Hell Abyss' in the Special opening)

Won't go to much into the plot, but it's pretty easy to tell who's who in this, if you're sharp enough that is. However, I can confirm that Lelouch IS dressed like Jacques Blanc from Onimusha 3 (Trenchoat, shirt, combat boots etc), only no Oni Gauntlet.

One thing though, while the plot will mirror elements of DMC3, in that Lelouch will be entering Temen-Ni-Gru to rescue Nunnally, the bosses he fight will NOT be from the game, as I'll be borrowing from other Capcom demon based series (such as Okami), and will include 'Devil Arms' appropriate (at least to me) for those characters.

So if you like? Let me know. Have any suggestions? Let me know. I've pretty much decided on which weapons he gets and the bosses, but I'm willing to change my mind if a good suggestions comes up.


	27. NarutŌkami

Yet another random Idea I've devised after too many nights without decent sleep due to work.

However, as you might guess from the title, it's not a Code Geass based one for once.

Now don't you all start getting excited, I never said I'd write it, I'm simply airing out the mental cupboards, so to speak, and this one happened to pop into my head.

That said, same rules apply.

* * *

NarutŌkami

The Elemental Nations, a series of countries that operate as separate political entities ruled over by their own respective Daimyo, who maintain balance between themselves through nothing but power. Treaties are periodically signed, but they are generally not worth much more than the paper they are written on.

Rather than employing their own private military forces, however, the Daimyo had long since resorted to employing Shinobi from the various Hidden Villages that exist within their land, the leaders of which, known as Kage, standing equally with their Ruling lords, allowing the Hidden Villages a certain level of anonymity, maintaining their own, personal economy by training their citizens to be ninja from a young age and using them as manpower in various missions others would be willing to pay for, from weeding a garden for a single payment to receiving a constant budget from the country it resides in for being soldiers in case the country is involved in a war.

However, our story does not take place in these not-so-hidden villages, but rather in a small town near the coast of Wave Country, where a certain knuckleheaded ninja and his perverted master are currently taking a break on their journey.

* * *

_Shrine Steps... _

"Come on Ero-sennin…!" Naruto muttered, the blonde jinchuuriki scowling at his master impatiently as they trudged up the steps of the mountain towards the temple up top "We're gonna be late!"

It had been two and a half years since Naruto had set foot in Konoha, two and a half years since the disastrous mission to 'rescue' his teammate, Uchiha Sasuke, who blinded by a desire to avenge his clan, had abandoned his comrades in Konohagakure, the Hidden Leaf Village, and defected to Otogakure in search of the power to do so.

Naruto, with the impetuousness, or was it stupidity, of youth, had wanted to go after him the moment he regained consciousness, but thankfully Jiraiya, the Toad sage of the Legendary Sannin team, had stepped in, offering to train him up, an offer that nobody in their right mind would have refused, even if the old fart WAS the biggest pervert to ever draw breath.

"Patience, Naruto." Jiraiya chuckled, the Toad sage and self-proclaimed Super Pervert all but ignoring his hot-headed disciple, as per the norm when training wasn't involved, his wooden Geta sandals clacking loudly as he took his sweet time climbing the stone steps "It's important to pay tribute at the local shrines when travelling, it ensures a safe journey, something YOU of all people should appreciate."

"Whatever…" Naruto muttered, grimacing slightly at reminder that Akatsuki, the mysterious organization hunting Jinchuuriki, were still out there, looking for him "You just wanna ogle the shrine maidens."

"That too!" Jiraiya admitted, the self-proclaimed Super Pervert unashamed in the slightest as he practically skipped up the steps past his disciple, Naruto hanging his head at the supposedly older Shinobi's antics.

"Seriously…" he muttered, a sullen look on his face as he made to follow "Why is it all my sensei's turn out to be perverts? Old man Hokage wasn't too bad, and Iruka and Ebizu-sensei were actually kinda funny, but Kaka-sensei and Ero-sennin are in a class of their own."

Sighing dejectedly, the last, or so it would seem, Uzumaki deciding he better follow the old fart before he did something to embarrass the village…pausing only to glance down at the village below.

They had arrived here not long ago, barely an hour at most, in order to pick up some sake from the local brewery, which according to Jiraiya, produced some of the finest Sake in all of the Elemental nations.

'The old pervert probably wants to use it to try and butter-up Ba-chan.' Naruto muttered, shaking his head in exasperation, both at his sensei and the woman that was the closest thing he'd ever had to a mother, which was kinda unsettling if you really thought of it 'He certainly bought enough of the stuff…Shizune-neechan's gonna have kittens…'

Sighing to himself, offering a prayer for long suffering attendant as he did so, the blonde jinchuuriki turned his attention out towards the village itself, bathing in the majesty of the countless cherry blossoms that bloomed all over the place, though their beauty paled in comparison to the MASSIVE Sakura Tree that loomed over the top of the Shrine, so large it wouldn't have looked out of place in the Forest's of Konoha, save for the colour of course.

'Might brighten the place up a bit…' he muttered, smiling up at the beautiful tree in admiration, before turning his attention back to the task at hand, trudging his way up to the top of the stone steps of the Shrine, only to blink as he saw Jiraiya slumped in disappointment against one of the shrine's arches, a monk with a basket over his head standing nearby, a brush held in his hands.

"Hm? Are you here to pay respects to Shiranui's shrine as well, young man?" the Monk called out, Naruto jumping at the sound of his voice, as the basket made it hard to see where the monk was looking.

"Y-yeah, something like that…" Naruto admitted nervously, covering up his shock by glancing in the direction of Jiraiya, who was leaning against one of the temple arches in distress "Uh…do I want to know what happened here?"

"I'm not too certain myself." The Monk admitted, his tone, which was still creepy, considering you couldn't see his face, laced with concern "He seemed to take it hard when I said we have no priestesses here."

"He would…" Naruto muttered, shaking his head in exasperation as the old man literally wilted, like a flower left out in the heat without water, turning his back on his mentor in disgust "He'll be fine, mind if I pay my respects?"

"But of course," the Monk acknowledged, bowing his head in greeting as he gestured towards the shrine proper "Please, this way."

Naruto did as asked, following the monk towards the shrine, making sure to remove his Shinobi sandals in return for a complimentary pair of prayer slippers before stepping into the wooden building. On the inside, it was fairly plain, save for thirteen ink paintings, twelve of which lined the walls leading up to the shrine itself, with the last taking pride of place behind a statue.

The Twelve that aligned the wall depicted the animals of the Zodiac, which any Shinobi worth his hitai-ate learned early on, as they were the basis of the hand seals necessary to perform Ninjutsu. There was a badass looking Dragon, a Rat with a wicked looking sword held between its teeth, a trio of Monkeys playing bamboo instruments, a massive Boar riding on what looked like a firework, surrounded by several smaller boars, a Snake in a glass gourd filled with water, a Rabbit with a strange mallet slung over its shoulder, a Horse with a fan on its back, a blazing Phoenix with a pipe, a Sheep with what appeared to be a wineskin on its back, a rather prim looking Cat that looked as if it was about to walk up the parchment…

"Wait, Cat?" Naruto wondered, blinking at the tapestry in confusion, trying to see if it was, perhaps, a Tiger cub and he was mistaken, but no, there was a bow wielding Tiger tapestry further down, surrounded by arrows of lightning, as well as a tapestry of an Ox blowing a conch horn "That can't be right," the blonde jinchuuriki muttered, turning to the Monk in confusion "isn't there supposed to be a dog?"

"Hm?" the Monk wondered, turning to see what was the holdup "Ah, yes." The Monk noted, his tone amused as he turned to face the youth, though with the basket it was hard to tell "I suppose, as a Shinobi, the inclusion of a Cat in the Zodiac would be mildly offsetting." He held up a finger "However, according to Legend, the Cat was originally part of the Zodiac as well, and so she is honoured here as well."

"Is that right?" Naruto murmured, sweatdropping in disbelief, as he'd never heard anything like THAT come up in Iruka-Sensei's class, then again, the Chunin tended to focus more on the IMPORTANCE of certain hand seals in moulding chakra, rather than the legends behind said seals "But shouldn't there still be a tapestry for the Dog?"

"But of course," the Monk confirmed, and Naruto had the distinct feeling the man was smiling at him in amusement as he gestured to the oil painting behind the shrine "after all, this IS Shiranui's shrine after all."

Naruto quirked a brow, following the Monk's gesture to the end of the shrine, where the last of the oil paintings hung behind a statue of a crouching wolf. Unlike the others, which were surprisingly lifelike in their own way, THIS painting seemed as if it were about to leap off the tapestry that held it, depicting a large white wolf with red markings and flaming wings that, in the candlelight, seemed to glow with all the colours of the rainbow.

"That is Shiranui," The Monk introduced, snapping Naruto out of his daze "The Wolf god, and patron deity of Kamiki Village." He stood before the statue, hands clapped together in reverence to the lupine deity "Tell me, young Shinobi, have you perchance heard the tale of Shiranui?"

"Can't say I have…" Naruto admitted, unable to draw his eyes away from the beautiful painting before him, the eyes of the world seeming to bore into his own in the candlelight.

"I wish I could say I was surprised…" the Monk sighed, sounding depressed as he shook his head, causing the basket to twitch "It is a sign of the times, alas, that the new generation be ignorant of the old legends."

"Hey! I'm not ignorant!" Naruto countered, glaring at the monk, only to trail off sheepishly in the face of the man's silence "It's just…as a Shinobi, I don't really have time for old legends."

"A sad truth in today's age." The Monk noted, not unkindly "Though it may surprise you, young Shinobi, that the tale of Shiranui predates even the Age of Shinobi."

"You're kidding!" Naruto exclaimed, gaping between the monk and the painting of the wolf in alarm, the candlelight making it appear as if the wolf's eyes were laughing at him, not unlike Kakashi-sensei really "You serious?"

"It is a tale passed down from parent to child, here in Kamiki village." The Monk spoke up, his hands clasped in prayer "The tale of the Hero Nagi, and the brave Wolf Shiranui." He turned to regard Naruto, or at least his basket did "Would you care to hear of it?"

Normally, Naruto would've turned him down, as he'd never had a lot of patience for old legends and stories growing up, but something about the painting of Shiranui called out to the jinchuuriki, making him want to learn more about the regal wolf depicted on the canvas. And so he nodded, the Monk gesturing for him to stand beside him as he began his tale.

* * *

_ Play Okami Intro music..._

"A long time ago," the Monk began, waving his hand towards several tapestries that hung alongside Shiranui's "long before the coming of the Rikudo no Sennin, the tiny hamlet known as Kamiki lay nestled in a grove of proud and beautiful cherry blossoms."

Naruto blinked, his nostrils twitching as he caught the tell-tale scent of Cherry Blossoms, turning his head from side to side to try and spot the source, as there was no incense in the temple.

"Each and every tree around the quiet burg was honoured as a god." The Monk continued, heedless of his audience's distraction "However, the village was not without its dark secrets, for the village was plagued by the attentions of a murderous beast known as the Orochi."

Naruto tensed at the name, recalling the pale, golden-eyed face of Orochimaru, the treacherous Snake Sennin of the Sannin, who had betrayed Konoha, killed the Sandaime Hokage, and apparently spirited Sasuke off to be his next body.

"To satiate the appetite of Orochi, a young maiden was offered as a sacrifice at the annual festival. No one dared disobey the horrific beast, for it possessed a body like a mountain, with eight monstrous heads mounted on necks the size of tree trunks, its blood-red eyes alone were said to curse anyone who gazed into them."

'Yikes...' Naruto muttered, shivering slightly at the image of an Eight-headed Orochimaru towering over him, tongues waggling disgustingly 'Now there's something out of a nightmare…'

"However," the monk continued solemnly "as the night of the sacrifice drew near, a mysterious white wolf appeared outside the village. This wolf, whose coat was as brilliant as snow, was dubbed Shiranui, and as it kept a watchful eye on anyone who ventured outside the village, even going to far as to patrol the streets at night, people fearfully assumed the wolf to be a familiar of Orochi. One villager, the warrior Nagi, took it upon himself to face the fearsome Shiranui, but his attempts to challenge the wolf were thwarted by Shiranui's swift movements."

Naruto's head snapped round again, the blonde Shinobi peering around the shrine, his eyes narrowed, as he SWORE he'd heard the sound of a canine snort, knowing from his prior experience with Kiba and Akamaru that it was a snort of laughter.

"Before long, the night of the accursed festival had arrived." The Monk continued, having clearly not heard anything of the sort "A white plumed arrow, which heralded the coming sacrifice, pierced the sky and sunk its shaft squarely into the home of Nami, the village's most beautiful maiden. Nagi, who harboured a secret love for Nami, was enraged by this sign, and so travelled to Orochi's lair in place of his beloved, determined to put an end to the beast once and for all."

'S'what I'D certainly do…' Naruto muttered, a silly little smile forming on his face as he imagined himself standing over the beaten form of the eight headed Orochimaru, sword in hand, while Sakura-chan hugged his leg in adoration, though the look quickly vanished when he heard that unmistakeable canine snort of laughter again 'Dammit! I know there's a dog in here somewhere!'

"The Moon Cave, a place as dark as evil itself, served as Orochi's home." The Monk continued, either outright ignoring the blonde, or so wrapped up in telling the story he missed the boy's actions entirely…with the basket it was hard to tell "As Nagi stood bravely before the entrance the beast appeared, eyes glowing crimson upon eight thrashing necks, anxious for another sacrifice. Nagi leapt with incredible grace, swinging his blade valiantly. On and on he sliced, well into the moonless night...but Orochi's hide was like steel, and his blade left nary a scratch. At long last, Nagi, his energy spent from the intense battle, dropped to his knees, fatigued and gasping for breath, knowing that he stared death in the face."

'I know how he must've felt…' Naruto muttered, grimacing as he recalled the palpable killing intent of Orochimaru, back when the Sannin had clashed during the blonde's mission to return Tsunade, the Slug Sage and Granddaughter of the Shodai Hokage, back to Konoha, in order for her to become the Godaime Hokage 'Heck, he must've had it worse…freak or not, Orochimaru's only human…

"It was then that the wolf appeared." The monk spoke up, and here, his voice took on a reverent tone, as if he could actually see the majestic, lupine form standing before him "It stood its ground before Orochi, as if to protect Nagi, an in the darkness of the cave, the wolf's coat shone brilliantly. Baring its fearsome claws, Shiranui leapt toward Orochi who reared its terrifying heads, readying its fangs for battle."

Naruto had to admit, with the way the monk was telling the story, he could almost picture the two beasts leaping at one another. In the candlelight, it almost appeared as if Shiranui was leaping towards him, while out of the corner of his eye, the shadows from the candles danced like the necks of countless serpents.

"The two beasts struggled wildly," the priest continued, his voice enawed "thrashing in the darkness, their battle was as mysterious as it were terrifying. Shiranui summoned gusts of divine wind to counter Orochi's flames, and as Orochi closed in on Shiranui, sharpened claws glistening, a gigantic tree suddenly sprouted forth, shielding the wolf."

'Sounds kind of like Mokuton Ninjutsu…' Naruto murmured, recalling Iruka-sensei's lectures on the First Hokage, Tsunade's grandfather, who'd founded Konoha and supposedly raised the forest around it. He'd never really paid attention, as he'd long since set himself up as the Hokage that would surpass all before him, but Jiraiya was nothing if not thorough in his tutelage, and had crammed as much folklore about Konoha into his head as he could on their journey, especially regarding the First Hokage and his battle with the Kyuubi.

"Shiranui fought gallantly to gain the upper hand." The monk continued, though his tone took on a more dire tone, as if reaching a dark part of the tale "However Orochi, protected by a mystical power, was not easily bested and Shiranui, covered in gashes, majestic coat dyed crimson, soon stood exhausted before the mighty Orochi, who saw a chance to strike what would be the final blow." The monk rallied admirably, his tone taking on an admiring tone that Naruto couldn't help but get caught up in "But Shiranui refused to give in, and with its last ounce of strength, the majestic wolf gazed heavenward and unleashed a mighty howl."

As if to emphasize the magnitude of the howl, the monk spread his arms wide, titling his head back, Naruto following his gaze to gape at the painting of a crescent moon on the ceiling above the painting of Shiranui.

"Suddenly, the black clouds overhead dissipated, and the light from above glinted off Nagi's sword as a beacon of hope." The Monk continued reverently "Guided by his sword, Nagi, who had been taking shelter in the shadows, stood proudly to face his adversary. Channelling all his strength into his scarred and battered arms, he leapt ferociously toward Orochi, his sword poised high. The golden sword danced in his hands like a puppet on a string and one by one, Orochi's fearsome heads separated from their owner!"

'Sounds like something Ba-chan would like to try…' Naruto noted, smirking as he envisioned Tsunade taking a sword to the eight headed Orochimaru, the eyes of the monster crossed humorously in his mind.

"Finally, Orochi's broken body collapsed in a lake of its own blood." The Monk concluded, bringing his arms down from their adulation "In that instant, the curse that plagued the villagers was lifted and as the battle subsided, the sun shone once again in the sky." He shook his head sadly "However, Shiranui had succumbed to Orochi's poison and struggled even to breathe. Nagi scooped the beast into his arms and returned to Kamiki, but by the time they reached the village, Shiranui was no longer moving. The village elder gently stroked the wolf's head an in response, Shiranui let out a hoarse and pitiful bark...and then closed its eyes and drifted off as if into slumber."

* * *

_As the story draws to a close..._

Naruto grimaced, the death of the wolf in battle with Orochi hitting a little too close to home, reminding him all too much of the death of Sarutobi Hiruzen, the Sandaime Hokage, who'd given his life to defeat his former student and protect his village. He might not have succeeded in the former, but his battle cost Orochimaru the use of his arms, forcing the snake Sennin to change bodies early, meaning that Sasuke, for the time being was safe.

"Peace had at last returned to Kamiki Village." The Monk concluded, gesturing towards the wolf statue that stood before Shiranui's tapestry "In honour of Shiranui's heroic exploits, the villagers erected a shrine and placed a statue of the wolf within it while Nagi's sword, which he named Tsukuyomi in memory of the moon Shiranui called forth, was placed inside the Moon Cave. And from that day onwards, the villagers of Kamiki have enjoyed an age of endless peace, untouched by the wars that have ravaged the Elemental Nations."

"Wha-seriously?" Naruto stammered, staring at the monk as if he'd grown another head, though with that basket on it wouldn't have surprised him if he had "You mean they've never seen a war here?"

"Kamiki village is situated outside the borders of all the Shinobi Nations." A voice noted, the duo turning to see Jiraiya, who'd apparently recovered from his bout of depression and joined them sometime into the end of the tale "It's a small, simple village, protected on all sides by steep cliffs and the sea to its back. Most Shinobi wouldn't deem it worth the effort to come here to stir up trouble, and it's too close to the Nadeshikogakure, so bandits tend to steer clear."

"What you say is true, good sir." The Monk admitted, though Naruto got the impression the man didn't appreciate Jiraiya bringing reality into his fable "Nevertheless, since that battle so long ago, Shiranui has been the patron God of Kamiki village, and we have never seen a moment's suffering." He continued to face Jiraiya, though Naruto got the feeling that, behind the basket, the Monk's eyes were locked onto his own. "Whether that be the work of man or Divine Intervention, I leave to you."

"Oh I'm not dismissing the legend." Jiraiya countered, waving a finger admonishingly at the monk as he stepped forward "In fact, I'd like to hear more of if, it could be a good inspiration for my work, is there, perhaps, a written account somewhere?"

"As a matter of fact, I believe I do…" the Monk admitted, his spirits rising at the interest the Toad Sennin was showing in the old legends, stepping forward eagerly to take the older Shinobi by the shoulder "Please, this way."

"I won't be a moment kiddo." Jiraiya assured Naruto, smiling confidently over his shoulder at his disciple as he allowed the Monk to lead him away "Why don't you finish paying your respects and wait for me outside?"

"Yeah, sure." Naruto sighed, shaking his head in exasperation, as he highly doubted the monk would be so eager to help his master out if he knew PRECISELY what types of stories the old letch actually wrote.

"Then again…" he muttered, grimacing as he recalled several less than devout priests that they'd run into on their journey "Wouldn't surprise me in the least if this one turned out to be a pervert as well…"

Shaking his head with a sigh, the blonde jinchuuriki turned his attention back to the shrine of Shiranui, staring up at the glorious painting of the white wolf, unable to help the feeling of admiration and understanding it inspired in him, the similarities with his own tale uncanny, in truth, unnervingly so.

'They looked down on you too, at first…' he muttered, recalling the tale, envisioning the villagers eyeing Shiranui fearfully as it patrolled the streets 'People always seem to jump to the wrong conclusions given the chance…' he snorted in amusement 'Heck, we BOTH have a villain called Orochi to deal with in order to help a friend…though in my case, the fucker's still very much alive…'

Shaking his head to rid himself of such thoughts, as the last thing he needed was to incur the wrath of a God for blaspheming in its temple, the blonde Jinchuuriki promptly picked up the small hammer used to strike the bell on the shrine, clapping his hands together and lowering his head in prayer.

'I don't know if you're real or not…' he thought to himself, his eyes closed reverently as he mumbled a simple travellers prayer, as Shinobi as a whole weren't particularly pious, being killers and assassin's by trade 'And even if you are, I doubt you'll listen to my prayers…' he frowned in thought 'But please…at the very least, don't let any harm come to Sasuke till I can get him out of there.'

A breeze picked up in the temple, Naruto's nose twitching as he the scent of springtime and cherry blossoms tickled his nose, his eye's flinching as a soft light shone through them, the jinchuuriki opening them to see what was going on, only to gape in shock at the sight before him.

The painting of Shiranui was moving, not because of the breeze, no, ACTUALY moving, the Wolf's regal head turning to regard the stunned Jinchuuriki with its golden, lupine eyes. As Naruto looked on in shock, the blazing wolf moved to step forwards, actually stepping OUT of the portrait, the formerly shadowed temple lighting up with all the colours of the rainbow as the flames on its back went from illustration to reality, bringing with them the scent of Sakura Petals on a summer's day.

"N-No freaking way…" the blonde stammered, gaping at the Wolf God in disbelief, unable to move as it padded towards him, about the same size as Bull, the largest of Kakashi's Ninken, save that it's presence seemed to fill the entire shrine, whereas Bull, while outwardly intimidating, seemed the most passive of Kakashi's hounds "Am…Am I dreaming?"

As if to answer the blonde, the wolf, Shiranui, leaned it's head back and loosed a howl that seemed to shake the very air around them, Naruto's eyes widening as he felt, deep within himself, the presence of the Kyuubi, the Nine Tailed Fox's chakra reacting to the Wolf God's howl like flames bathed in oil, a sense of vertigo washing over him as he tumbled to the floor, his last conscious memory that of Shiranui's golden eyes gazing down at him benignly before everything went black.

* * *

And that's my latest brainchild, a Naruto (Shippuden) and Okami crossover.

Now I know what you're all thinking, 'Is Kyugan back on the Naruto bandwagon at last?' well the answer is: HELL NO. So far as I'm concerned, Naruto ended with Kakashi Gaiden, as Shippuden, despite a good start, has sadly gone so far south it's currently falling through the depth's of space. Seriously as if the Godmodding the Sharingan wasn't bad enough (and yes, i do know the irony considering my first Naruto based work basically involved a similar power up, i was young, sue me) now there's so many plot twists and 'big reveals' i don't know where to look.

Hell, even in my 'Hokage no Issan', I limited the power of Edo Tensei so that it wears off whenever the summoner is defeated, whereas Kabuto can basically spam badasses till he runs out of corpses. But the biggest 'F-!-ck You' moment to me was Madara being revived and turning out to have the Rin'negan. I could have accepted him being revived, hell, it was an interesting plot point (personally I believe 'Tobi' to be his younger brother) but giving him the Rin'negan? An ability that's so rare it was considered lost till Nagato showed up? There are no emoticons adequate enough to properly describe how I felt when I saw that.

But enough about my hatred of Shippuden, back to discussing the idea behind the above ficlet.

Basically, the plot will be pretty much the same as in Okami, only with Naruto running around instead of Amaterasu. Now I can see where some people might take offence to that, as by this point, Naruto will have completed two and a half years of training under Jiraiya (Start of Shippuden, before the Rescue Gaara Arc to be precise), but let me assure you that isn't going to mean much, other than he's a little more mature.

Why won't it mean much, because as some of you might have guessed, Shiranui (or SHIN Okami Amaterasu if you want to be precise) didn't just send everyone's favourite Knuckleheaded Ninja back in time, she also, with possible help from Kyuubi, turned him into a fox.

I know, REAL original, but hey, we needed to set limits. Remember, in this story, the events of Okami occured BEFORE the coming of the Sage of Six paths, meaning the Juubi still hasn't manifested yet, so having a Shinobi running around scaring the bejeezus out of mortals would hardly be in the Gods' best interests.

Another reason is that, this way, Naruto won't be able to simply 'Rasengan' his problems away, he'll need to use his head and think strategically, making use of the Celestial Brush Techniques he learns along the way (And by thuder he'll learn them). Furthermore, as he's trapped in fox form, he can't use any jutsu that expresly require handseals, meaning he can't spam his Tajuu Kagebunshin (Mass Shadow Clones) in battle. In addition, since he's been sent back to a time when the Bijuu (or at least the ones from HIS time) don't exist, he doesn't have the Kyuubi (Seriousy Kishimot, Kurama? You had to go there?) to back him up.

However, he won't be completely defenceless, as he still has his own impressive chakra reserves, (Which kakashi admits to being four times his own) and can perform those jutsu which come second nature to him now, and thus don't require hand seals. To my knowledge, these include:

1. Tree/Water Walking.

2. Henge/Transformation (A must have for any fox, though he can't maintain it for long)

3. Possibly Kage Bunshin.

Now I'm not a hundred percent certain about these and would like viewer feedback to confirm them, especially in the case of the latter. I know he needs seals for his Tajuu Kage Bunshin, but for simply making the odd clone or two, I'm pretty sure he doesn't need to make the seals anymore (or at least, I've seen him create at least one or two without seals).

He also retains his kunai holster and ninja pouch, so he still has his tools of trade, and as Pakkun and co have demonstrated, being a canine doesn't mean you can't use a blade.

Speaking of weapons, as Naruto is NOT Amaterasu, I'm debating whether or not to give him reflectors as weapons. Personally, I prefer the beads, though that's an aethetic thing for me, though he WILL be getting the Glaive Tsumugari later on.

Will this one get off the ground? Who can really tell? Certainly not me, but at the very least, it shows I haven't completely lost my faith in Kishimoto-sensei just yet.

Not. Just. Yet.

In any case, you know the rules, if you have any suggestions as to which Jutsu to allow, by all means, let me know. Just remember, no handseals, and NO Rasengan variants.


	28. Master Zero

Yo, yet another idea I've come up with when i should be getting more beauty sleep.

Seriosuly, I'm a big, balding ball of angry Irish, I need a good century to even get halfway decent.

In any case, if some of you are wondering if the intro is familliar, that's because it is.

Enjoy.

* * *

Master Zero.

Space, the Final Frontier, or so it would seem to those limited to the physical and mental planes, or simply on a tight budget.

Now admittedly, this would make up almost the entire universe, more accurately 99.99 percent of all races past, present and future, save for one solitary exception.

There were many races that claimed to be 'The First', Races old and powerful and wise as they were diverse, such as the Guardians of Oa, the Jurai Royal Empire, the Atasians of Augstaka, and a veritable menagerie of other species that had been around for untold eons.

However, only one true race could claim the title of 'The First' with any amount of historical and scientific accuracy to validate their claim, a race of beings that had not only existed since the Dawn of Time, but had actually been around to document it: The Time Lords of Gallifrey.

The Planet was located in the constellation of Kasterborous, otherwise known as the Seven Systems, of which it was considered the Shining World, a sentiment that was well deserved as it's galactic co-ordinates, 10-0-11-0-0 by 0-2 from Galactic Zero Centre, meant that while it may not have been exactly dead centre, it was as close as one could possibly get to being the centre of the Galaxy without ending up in a black hole.

Possessed of two large moons and a ring system, one of the things which set Gallifrey apart from other planets out there was that it was in a binary star system, the Main star a large and golden red, while the secondary was smaller and a more customary gold.

From orbit, the planet appeared rust-coloured, with brown lakes and grey clouds. On the surface, however, it boasted an orange sky and trees with silver leaves which reflected the morning sunlight, making it look like the forests were on fire. There were also green forests, golden fields and red deserts.

The Gallifreyans, otherwise known as the Time Lords, were an ancient species that had evolved before the Dark Times of the Universe, to the point they were already waging inter-galactic wars by the time the Sol System, the system where the Planet known as Earth existed, was even formed.

Initially, Gallifrey was ruled by the Pythia, a line of female seers who not only predicted the future, but controlled all power on Gallifrey whilst perpetuating mysticism and condemning the use of reason. Their early empire was huge, with colonies across the galaxy. Slave trading was common, and while some protested, few could contest with the Pythia, those few who did soon learned to change their tune or face the consequences for their opposition.

However, during what was known as the Time of Chaos, the power of the Pythia began to inexplicably decline, providing the opening needed for the Neo-Technologists, led by the Time Lord Triumverate of Rassilon, Omega and the mysterious Other, to overthrow their oppressors in a one-sided coup d'état, though not before the last of the Pythia cursed her home world with sterility before taking her own life.

Undaunted in the face of the challenges facing Gallifrey, which included the death of the Other and Omega's disapperance into a Black Hole, the Time Lords instituted changes to deal with the problems of the Empire, ordering the creation of genetic looms to permit the Gallifreyan race to reproduce, forming The Great Houses to stabilise society. At the time, the Time Lords began research into black holes, which lead to the eventual discovery of the Eye of Harmony, the source of most of the Time Lords' power, and their first steps into becoming masters of Time Travel, an event which lead to the creation of their infamous 'Non-Interference Policy'.

It was only common sense, really. After all, just because one had the means to literally BE anywhere and everywhere you wanted, didn't mean you could go mucking about with the fabric of time and space. The universe had rules, rules that needed to be maintained in order to ensure that everything kept moving smoothly. In a sense, they likened time to a clock, too much tinkering and tampering and eventually something would break, better to leave things to their own devices, and simply observe what happened.

However, there were some instances where even the Time Lords felt it necessary to interfere, such is the case with their most hated of foes: The Daleks.

Created during the final days of the Thousand Year War between the Thals and Kaleds of planet Skaro, a war where the few remaining survivors had been mutated as a result of the numerous nuclear, biological and chemical agents employed to destroy their opponents, a brilliant young Kaled scientist named Shan authored a paper, entitled the 'Dalek Solution, a means for both the mutated Kaleds and Thals to survive with their limited resources. The Paper was later stolen and presented to the Kaled Council by another scientist called Davros, who had discovered a prophecy in the forbidden Book of Predictions which stated that one day mortals would transcend into gods, the last word in particular catching his attention, as said aloud, it was pronounced 'Dal ek'.

Using this paper and his connections to become one of the Kaled Scientific Elite, the now crippled Davros began experiments on living subjects, pushing through legislations enabling him to claim authority and ownership of all Kaled infants under the age of five and have them delivered to Paediatric Facility K99, which he used as a laboratory for surgical experiments, hoping to deify the Kaled race.

At first, Davros abstained from immediately showing the results of his Dalek experiments to the Kaled Scientific Elite, choosing to instead improve and develop the shell for the organic components of the Daleks, housing them in tank-like and armed Mark III Travel Machines similar to his own life support chair. He maintained a nursery of embryonic Dalek young, where he also shaped their minds, indoctrinating them to have no comprehension of such lesser concepts as pity or elegance.

Eventually, word of Davros' experiments reached the ears of the Kaled Scientific Elite, thanks in no small part to the all-encompassing influence of the Time Lords, who had witnessed first-hand the destruction the Davros' sinister creations would unleash if left unchecked, and so sent an emissary, the Time Lord known only as The Doctor, to prevent their coming into existence, or at the very least lessen the damage they would do in the future.

To prevent this, Davros arranged for the Thals to aim a missile at the Kaled Dome where his people resided, which allowed him to deploy the Daleks to exterminate the Thals in 'retaliation' for the attack. Instead, the Daleks turned on Davros, as they were not programmed to recognise any creature as superior to them, which included their creator, supposedly killing Davros before turning their attentions on everything else, the resulting battle destroying the Dalek embryo room, the Thals using the opportunity to seal Daleks inside the unstable bunker.

Despite the supposed success of the mission, The Doctor, who had been torn between his own morals and his hatred and fear of the Daleks and thus had hesitated at a critical moment, believed that he had only managed to delay the Dalek's progress by about a thousand years or so, and predicted that they would eventually return, a prediction that was proved valid when, centuries later, the Daleks reactivated, only to be stopped, again and again, by numerous incarnations of The Doctor.

However, these encounters only served to spurn the Daleks to new heights, the mutated monstrosities even going so far as to develop their own Time Travel technology in order to track their nemesis, forging what would slowly become known as the Intergalactic Dalek Empire, whose sole purpose was to eradicate all other sentient life forms, or rather, all other life forms period, so that only the 'pure' Dalek Race could rule.

This all finally culminated in a climactic battle, during which the majority of the Higher Races went to war, a war that would decide the fate of the entire universe: Past, Present and Future.

The Last Great Time War.

* * *

_Gallifrey: Last day of the Time War. _

It was all coming apart.

Everything he'd ever known, everything he'd ever dreamed, planned, his memories and hopes, his fears, his ambitions, everything was crashing down around him like glass.

He was no stranger to conflict, indeed, some of his greatest schemes had involved playing one side against the other and then sweeping in at the last minute to stab both in the back and make off with the spoils. He had even, at times, deigned to get his hands dirty, as there was a certain thrill in taking an opponent's life with one's bare hands, or Tissue Compression Eliminator as the case may very well be. It was one of the reasons those blasted old codgers had deigned to revive him, when he'd fully expected to have been left to rot for all time within the Time Vortex.

The said he was the 'Perfect Soldier' for a Time War, and in a sense, they were right. Not because he was good at following orders, no, but because he was as good at staying alive as he was at taking the lives of others.

But this was no mere conflict, no mere battle between two lesser species of so-called 'sapient races' for him to manipulate to his every whim like a puppeteer. No, this was The Last Great Time War, the war between his people, the Time Lords of Gallifrey, and their long hated nemesis, and his occasional allies, The Daleks.

Perhaps 'Ally' was too strong a word. Certainly he and the Daleks had made use of one another on more than one occasion, though that was usually a result of their having a common objective, specifically the destruction of a specific meddling Time Lord, as he had no delusions that the Daleks WOULDN'T shoot him in the back the moment they achieved their objectives, it's certainly what he would have done in the circumstances.

But now it was all over, the Crucible had fallen, the Dalek Emperor having floated in, cheeky as you please, and he'd been unable to do anything but turn tail and run. Run till his feet bled, run till his hearts threatened to burst, run till every fibre of his being threatened to come apart at the seams, and then he ran some more.

"I won't die…" he swore, breathing heavily, fear and determination coursing through his veins along with the adrenalin, pushing him forwards, keeping him conscious, ever aware of the sounds of pursuit following hot on his heels "Not here, not like this! Not cornered like some damned animal!"

He could hear them drawing closer, the sounds of his own feet pounding on the floor like the beating of drums, 'The Drums of War' his treacherous subconscious opined, the beat sending rippled through his body, urging him onwards, telling him to LIVE, that he had a purpose yet to fulfil, and it wasn't to die like a beast, hunted to exhaustion and then put down.

"It's around here somewhere…" he swore, gasping for breath by this point, his eyes narrowing in desperation as he rounded a corner, fighting down the urge to whoop in jubilation at the sight of his target, a solitary brown Doric Column, which appeared as out of place standing in the centre of the cavernous chamber as a fox in a henhouse, and was certainly just as dangerous.

TARGET LOCATED! a mechanized voice called out from behind, the man cursing as he hurled himself at the pillar, a door opening in the side to admit his entry just as a blue beam shot over his shoulder EXTERMINATE!

"Blasted mutants!" he hissed, rubbing his singed shoulder where the beam had nicked him, thankful for the Time Lord armour that had taken the brunt of the assault, as even a glancing blow from a Dalek's Extermination Beam was fatal "Damn it all Doctor…should've pulled the plug on those monsters and saved us all the trouble…"

Shaking his head at his rival's, in his opinion, greatest failure, the bearded man stumbled towards the console of his TARDIS, ignoring the dull thumps and high-pitched cries from outside as the Daleks tried to force their way into the ship.

'Let them try till they're blue in the face…' he sneered, knowing all too well that if a TARDIS, specifically HIS TARDIS, didn't want someone inside it, then no force in the universe could breach the sanctity of its walls 'I certainly don't have time to play host…'

Indeed, it was looking PAINFULLY clear that things were not going well for Gallifrey. With the fall of the crucible, it was only a matter of time before Rassilon and the other Senators fell before the Dalek horde.

"Pity…I'd wanted to see the President kneel before ME." He mused, sighing in disappointment as he pressed several buttons on the console "No matter…there'll be time for revenge later…"

So saying, he pulled a level on the console, looking up with a solemn expression as a headset descended from the roof of the TARDIS, the sight of it sending shivers of apprehension down his spine. It was a Chameleon Arch, a piece of Time Lord technology designed to modify the biology of a Gallifreyan so the cells registered as another species. It was originally intended as a form of punishment, though later it was used for espionage purposes, allowing 'Sleeper Agents' to be introduced into other civilisations, only activating when a specific signal was sent out, dismissing the perception filter that concealed the fob watch-like device that contained their true memories and biological information, allowing them to open them and regain their true forms.

"Now then…where to go…?" he wondered, fingers blurring over the console, setting up the TARDIS' autopilot for the journey ahead, as he certainly wouldn't be in a state to do so afterwards "It's not like I'm spoiled for choice…eventually Daleks end up everywhere…like roaches really…" he smiled wryly "Ah…of course…Earth, what better place for a wolf to hide than amongst the sheep…especially Sheep that have the good Doctor as their shepherd…"

So saying, he set in the coordinates for Earth, though thankfully not in the dark ages, as he had no desire to live in an age without plumbing or electricity, activating the Autopilot before plugging himself into the Chameleon Arch and flipping the switch, his screams as the procedure fired up no doubt pleasing the Dalek horde outside.

At that moment, just as his mind was being agonizingly re-written by the Arch, just as he felt his twin heartbeats slow down into one, just as he felt the telltale signs of his features shifting into a new face, the door to his TARDIS swung open, and he was greeted by the horrifying sight of a Dalek standing in the doorway, a key held at the end of an extended proboscis.

TARGET LOCATED! the cybernetic monstrosity shrieked, it's Extermination Gun coming up to bear on it's Target's chest EXTERMINATE! EXTERMINATE!

"No!" the Time Lord yelled despite the pain, moving to leap from his chair only for the Extermination beam to hit him in the back, sending him flying into the TARDIS console, sparks erupting from it as the stricken ship tried to continue its program and teleport it's master to safety, the Dalek activating it's Emergency Temporal Shift to escape being sucked out into the Time Vortex, the door slamming shut behind it as the damaged Time ship carried it's wounded master to safety.

Unnoticed by all, had been thrown clear during the scuffle, and had been sucked out into the vortex when the Dalek made its escape. It fell now, through the un-focused schism, through time and space, carrying within it the essence of one of the children of Gallifrey, a world that would soon no longer exist.

* * *

_Area 11, a.t.b 2018... _

"Lelouch…" a voice called out, the speaker a tall, blue haired woman with dark skin and golden eyes, dressed in a tracksuit jacket over a red dress and trainers, one hand resting on her hip as she smiled at the target of her ire, the tall, regal featured teen flinching at the sound of her voice.

"Oh not again…" he sighed, turning to smile at her, his lavender eyes boring into her golden pair as he chuckled nervously "You are persistent."

'You have NO idea…' the woman muttered, struggling to control the urge to belt him one right in his smug face, a coy smile appearing on her own as she locked gazes with him "You're not going to get away THIS time." She vowed, only to blink as he took off at a run, several of his fellow students cheering him on as he passed them by "Lelouch! You come back here!" breaking into a modest run, little more than a hog really, knowing full well that with her quarry's pitiful stamina, he'd wear himself out and try to hide out in one of the classrooms.

Sure enough, within a matter of minutes, more like seconds really, the handsome teen was short of breath, sweat pouring from his face as he staggered into one of the empty chemistry classrooms. 'Pathetic…' she scoffed, unable to help the mocking smile that adorned her lips as she cornered her prey, the exhausted teen cowering in the dark as if it could protect him from her.

"Give it up." She called out, her tone betraying the slightest hint of mockery as she sashayed into the darkened classroom "You lost the moment you turned this into a contest of strength and speed."

"Aren't you overreacting?" Lelouch shot back exhaustedly, the dark haired teenager struggling to catch his breath as he cowered behind a chemistry set "I mean, this is just about making up P.E Class."

"No." the woman countered, a hint of her true anger in her tone as she frowned at the teen, only her orders keeping her from strangling him, instead opting to point at him commandingly, one hand on her hip "Quit cutting class Lelouch."

"I have more than enough school credits to pass, don't I?" Lelouch queried, a devil may care smile on his handsome face that only served to annoy the woman all the more, one finger trailing along the supposedly empty chemistry set. With a smile, he tipped over one of the beakers, sending the contents into a petri dish that some idiot had left lying around, the classroom filling with chemical smoke as she stumbled out of it, gasping for breath. "Don't worry!" she heard him call out, the sound of his feet retreating down the corridor like mocking laughter in her ears "It's just colored smoke!"

'You little-!' she swore, covering her mouth as she stumbled out of the classroom, racing after her target like a wolf hunting a deer, sending a passing glare at the blonde young woman, one Milly Ashford, who tossed him a bread roll whilst egging him on "What kind of Student Council President ARE you?"

"Oh, I'm sorry…" the Ashford heir shot back with a smile, her tone making it all too clear that she wasn't sorry in the slightest "Completely lost my head."

'If only…' the woman muttered, glaring at the girl as she raced towards one of the far windows, knowing full well that her prey would've already cleared the building by now, and was most likely making towards his accomplice in the parking lot.

Sure enough, the moment she reached the window overlooking the rear entrance to the school she spotted her target making a break for the parking lot. Not bothering with the stairs, as they would only slow her down, she instead chose to hurl herself out the window at the target, descending on him from on high, her legs wrapping around his chest as she brought him to the ground with a yelp that brought a smirk to her lips.

"OW!" the boy beneath her whined, the woman's eyes widening as he turned, pulling off the black wig to reveal a mop of blue hair and a pained, Cheshire grin "Are you tryin' ta kill me coach?"

"Rivalz?" she stammered, staring down at her target's accomplice in alarm, and understandable confusion, as she was certain he'd be waiting for Lelouch in the parking lott in order to make their getaway "But how did you-?"

The sound of a motorcycle engine cut her off, the woman looking up just in time to see a modified RR1200 BMC pull out of the parking lot, her target riding regally in the sidecar, a confident smile on his face. "I need to borrow your bike Rivalz!" he called out, waving at the pair in parting as the driver revved the engine and took off through the gates "See Ya!"

"Dammit…" the woman muttered, allowing a scowl to form on her features, though internally she was as calm as could be, her eyes locked on the cherubic features of the one riding the machine with her target 'Just as planned…as always.'

"Ow…" Rivalz muttered, the bluenet grimacing as he tried to pull himself out from beneath her, to little success "Could you get off me coach Villetta? You're kinda heavy?"

"Is that so?" Villetta asked, her tone dangerously cold as he smiled down at the suddenly trembling youth that had aided in her quarry's escape "Well then, if that's the case, why don't we work on those arm muscles of yours, gimme thirty push-ups, NOW.

Petty, she knew, but considering all the shit she had to put up with dancing to the Emperor's little tune, well worth it.

* * *

_With Lelouch... _

"For crying out loud…" Lelouch muttered, shaking his head in exasperation as he sat back in the sidecar, his face a mask of irritation "Can't they give me a break and leave me alone after school?"

"But brother…" Rolo, his younger sibling, murmured, the younger Lamperouge looking down at the elder in concern briefly before returning his attention to the road "They only do that because you keep cutting classes."

"BECAUSE I find them to be insufferably boring." Lelouch countered, tearing up the sweet roll Milly had tossed him and offering a piece to Rolo, an action he instantly regretted as his brother struggled to regain control of the car, unable to eat and steer at the same time "I'm Sorry." He offered, chuckling to calm his nerves, turning his head to the side, a solemn expression marring his features as he eyed the Tokyo Settlement as they passed through it on their way to Babel Tower.

It had been exactly one year since the failed Black Rebellion, the insurrection of the Elevens led by the Terrorist known only as Zero. At the time, Lelouch had considered returning to the homeland with Rolo, but in the end it had all come to naught, as the superior Britannian Forces soon routed the rebels, capturing most of them and executing Zero.

"Did you turn in your career guidance report yet?" Rolo asked, snapping Lelouch out of his ruminations, the elder Lamperouge peering up at the younger in confusion "THAT'S the reason Miss Villetta was so upset." He pointed out, only to sigh at his sibling's look of amusement "So what about college?"

"Haven't decided yet." Lelouch admitted, a coy smile on his face as he leant his cheek on the knuckles of his left hand "I AM tired of being a student, but I'm not ready to get a job and join the system either."

There'd be no point if he did. Even if he applied himself and got a recommendation from the Dean, he'd still be relegated to some minor post somewhere, pushing paper or taking calls, while the big name corporations and nobility flaunted their authority over the less fortunate.

The sound of recorded gunfire drew his attention to an overhead jumbotron, where several members of the Black Knights were being executed under the orders of Viceroy Colaris, the Viceroy using their death to both put down any further attempts at rebellion in the Eleven population, and garner support from the Britannian masses.

'Zero was a fool…' he muttered, staring dispassionately at the virtual posters of the Black Knights, the masked Revolutionary's marred with a crimson X, the words 'Executed' printed in block capitals beneath, as if to drive the message home 'No matter how you try, the world is just a…'

"You're doing it again, Brother." Rolo pointed out, snapping Lelouch out of his thoughts, the elder Lamperouge looking up to see his sibling eyeing him with a pained expression "The tapping, you're doing it again."

"Was I?" Lelouch wondered, looking down at his right hand, which was resting on the side of the sidecar, his index and middle finger paused in mid-air "Sorry, must've been lost in thought…'

"You've been doing that a lot…" Rolo murmured, eyeing his sibling in concern "Ever since your last Birthday, are you sure you're alright?"

"I'm fine…don't worry about it." Lelouch insisted, smiling reassuringly at the younger teen, who turned back to the task at hand, the elder Lamperouge's smile falling as he glared at his fingers as if they'd betrayed him. And in a sense they had, as a tell as prominent as Finger Tapping was not something he needed where they were going.

'Probably didn't sleep well last night…' he muttered, cursing the educators at Ashford and their petty grievances with all his soul. It wasn't HIS fault their lessons were so damnably boring that he was better off simply reading the textbook in advance, nor was it HIS fault he saw better uses for his spare time outside the campus grounds.

'Some people just can't accept when they're made redundant.' He muttered, raising the book he'd brought to read with a sigh, tucking his treacherous right hand into the pocket of his blazer to avoid the temptation of tapping against the sidecar, his elegant fingers wrapping around the cool metal of his pocket watch.

He'd happened across the watch while on one of his many outings, this one with Rivalz, as he'd been shopping for gifts for everyone. Small things, nothing expensive, as he and Rolo had a budget to meet, not being nobles like Milly or Rivalz.

The moment he'd seen the battered looking timepiece, he'd found himself drawn to it, an inexplicable yearning that had muddied his thoughts to the point he couldn't even recall walking into the pawnshop to buy it, or even if he bought it at all, the only clear memory he had of the encounter was blinking as he stepped out of the store, his hand frozen in the act of putting the watch into his pocket.

'Come to think of it…' he murmured, frowning at the memory 'I didn't really develop a tell until AFTER I bought the watch…'

He shook his head with a snort, dismissing the idea as ludicrous and turning his attention back to his book, the fingers of his right hand curled around the timepiece to waylay any movement, whilst unbeknownst to him, the fingers of his left were tapping out a steady, four beat tempo on the cover of his book.

Da-da-da-dum, Da-da-da-dum, Da-da-da-dum, Da-da-da-dum-!

* * *

And I'll leave off there.

Yes, this is another Code Geass Doctor Who Crossover, an ACTUAL crossover this time, rather than a fusion like the last one.

As many of you probably guessed, the Time Lord whose Fob Watch fell into space was The Master, who has just fled the Time war and become the Human Professor Yana, or was attempting to anyway, as at the last moment, the Daleks managed to break into his TARDIS with a stolen Type 45 key, no doubt liberated from a Time Lord Corpse.

Rest assured, Proffessor Yana made it to his point in time without further incident, but as a result of the watch falling out into the vortex, the Face of Bo's prediction's been pushed back a fair bit, meaning we won't be saying good bye to the Tenth anytime soon. (Brilliant!) Though whether or not he shows up later depends on the mood. At most, it'll be a Cameo, as Code Geass is set in an alternate Timeline (Much like the Cybermen's world where Mickey was called Rickey and Rose's dad was alive) so the Doctor wouldn't be able to get there easily.

As for Lelouch's stumbling across the watch in a pawnshop...well, who else could you imagine finding the Master's essence? Really, Lelouch and The Master have a lot in common: Machiavellian minds, a flair for the dramatic, a taste in fancy suits, a temper so terrible it can destroy worlds, and above all else, the resolve to KILL to get what they want.

To tell the truth, Lelouch as the Master would be a lot easier to write than Lelouch as the Doctor (At least not one of the current Doctors, maybe the Third, Seventh or Eigth).

As for all those people who're no doubt shouting 'HANG ON!' and demanding how Lelouch can turn out to be the Master the answer is simple: He Isn't, but he's going to BECOME the Master after he finally opens that Damned fob-watch and absorbs the Timelord's essence within.

For those of you saying that's not how a Fob-watch works, I point to the Master's prior past records with 'Possessions', two to date, including the Alien Tremas and the Human Bruce, although admittedly, that was because he'd used up all his regenerations. However, The Time Lords revived the Master to fight in the Time war, which means that, Yana aside, he has Eleven more Regenerations left, all of which will be passed on to Lelouch, along with all his knowledge and, as you can see, the pounding of the drums.

In short: Britannia is Poontah'd.

If anyone can direct me to a good theme for the Master, it might encourage me to get this one out. It doesn't have to have Lyrics, but it DOES have to be something you'd expect to hear from a Doctor Who Anime if they ever made one.


	29. Fate: Zero Requiem

Hello all you happy people!

Yes, I am still alive, and as of...approximately 24 hours ago by the time i post this, I have officially turned 25!

God, where does the time go? Seems like only yesterday I was watching DBZ on Toonami (UK) before racing off to catch the bus to school.

But you aren't here to listen to me whine, are you? You're here to see what devious new idea has popped into my head.

Well here it is, consider it my personal Birthday Present from me to you.

* * *

Fate/Zero Requiem: An Alternate Tale of the Fourth Holy Grail War

_Demons Run, when a Good Man Goes to War,_

_Night Shall Rise and Drown the Sun, When a Good Man Goes to War,_

_Friendship Dies and True Love Lies,_

_Night Shall Fall and the Dark Shall Rise,_

_When a Good Man Goes to War._

When people speak about the occult, or discuss theories on dimensions beyond the scope of mortal comprehension, more often than not it refers to a 'Power' outside the world as we know it. Some called it God, some called it The Truth, and others call it the Akasha Records, the Origin of all things. No matter what title people labelled it with, it was the search for this illusory 'Root of the World' that was the dearest wish and driving force of all magi, the purpose behind their on-going refinement of the art of Thaumaturgy.

However, since the end of the 'Days of The Gods', when Phantasmal Beasts and Demigods walked the earth, Magic has slowly but steadily fallen into decline, a decline that has been advanced thanks in part to the development of Technology and the suppressive activities of The Church. As a result, to date there are only Five 'True' Magics left that defy human comprehension, and of those only One remains active, the other four having fallen into relative extinction due to the inherent nature of Magi of taking their secrets to their graves.

As a result, approximately two-hundred years ago, Three Magi Families convened in a bid to revive the Third of the True Magics: The Heaven's Feel, as a means to finally reach Akasha.

The Einzbern family, an old, respected Magus Family who held the closest ties to the Third Magic, the Makiri and the Tohsaka, one of the few families to ever produce an heir capable of surviving the tutelage of Wizard Marshal Kischur Zelretch Schweinorg.

The Einzberns proposed the reproduction of the 'Holy Grail', an omnipotent container that was the subject of many traditions and could realize any wish made upon it, as a means of manifesting the Heaven's Feel. Enticed at the possibility of summoning such an omnipotent device, the three families, who would go on to become known as the 'Founding Families', offered up their secret arts in order to carry out the Ritual.

The Einzberns would provide the 'Vessel' for the Grail, which would in turn manifest within the barriers of the land owned by the Tohsaka Family, one of the few places capable of supporting a ritual on this scale in the modern age. Upon activation, the Grail would thus select seven magi, or 'Masters' who possessed the power to take it, dividing the phenomenal amount of prana within it among them, allowing them to summon Heroic Spirits called 'Servants', Legendary warriors granted powers by the Throne of Heroes through the fame they acquired in life.

However, the Magi learned far too late that despite being Omnipotent, the Holy Grail could only grant the wish of one person per Heaven's Feel. As a result, the moment this truth was realised, the bonds of cooperation that had been the lifeblood of the ritual were cast aside, the Magi turning on one another in a bloody-free for all, from which only the victor would be allowed the honour of claiming the Grail.

* * *

_Turin, Italy..._

In the room of an elegant villa built atop a small hill in the neatest district in the south of Turin, three men stood facing one another.

"The markings that have appeared on your right hand are called 'Command Seals'." One of them spoke up, his voice smooth and carrying as he addressed the other two, who wore the adornments of the Catholic Church "They are the proof that you have been chosen by the Holy Grail, and the qualifications that grants you the right to control a Servant."

The person who had spoken was Tohsaka Tokiomi, current head of the Tohsaka family, one of the three Founding Families behind the by now infamous Fuyuki Grail Wars. The other two members consisted of Father Kotomine Risei, an old 'friend' of the Tohsaka family and his son Kirei, to whom Tokiomi's words were directed.

Kirei had to admit, for a friend of his father, a pious man of the cloth who would soon reach eighty, the eccentric Tokiomi was surprisingly young, possibly little older than Kirei himself, though the feeling of composure and confidence he gave off spoke of experience Kirei had only felt from senior members of the Burial Agency.

It was unsurprising really, as even by the standards of Japanese Magi, the Tohsaka were an old, distinguished lineage. What surprised, or rather intrigued Kirei, was that the casual ease by which he'd revealed his identity as a Magus, as one would have to be a fool to so blatantly purchase property within striking distance of the Church, and especially so to declare their status before members of the Burial Division of the 'Holy Church', who followed a doctrine of exterminating the stigma of heresy, such as Mage-Craft, and burying it into oblivion.

Typically, Magi conspired and interacted only with other magi, preferring the safety of the Magus Association to avoid clashing with the enforcers of the Church. Recently both sides agreed to a 'cease-fire' of sorts in order to maintain the peace in the wake of the last World War, but even so it was a rare state of affairs where members of the Holy Church and a Magus would gather in the same building to discuss one of the most 'blasphemous' of rituals without someone losing a limb.

The Tohsaka were an exception, however, having made a point of keeping on good terms with the church, in particular the Kotomine family, a relationship that was maintained through generous donations that went both ways since before the foundation of the Grail Wars.

Risei had known Tokiomi's Grandfather and had overseen the previous Grail War, which had fallen short as was fast becoming a trend. Now, in the waning of his years, he was rather eager to see the ritual to fruition, and couldn't be happier when Kirei had come to him the previous night, revealing the surfacing pattern on the back of his hand which identified him as one of the 'Masters' chosen by the Grail, and had contacted Tokiomi immediately.

"Does the Grail have preferred people to select?" he pondered during a break in Tokiomi's explanation, not liking the way the older man was eyeing him.

"The Three Founding Families: Einzbern, Matou and Tohsaka are always included amongst the participants." Tokiomi confirmed with a nod, raising a hand to reveal a threefold ring pattern "As the current heir to the Tohsaka family, I will participate in the next battle."

Kirei said nothing, but inwardly tensed, eyeing the elder man before him warily. While he doubted his father would have agreed to the meeting if Tokiomi intend foul play, never mind the fact the man would have to be suicidal to attempt anything within spitting distance of the Church, it never paid to be careful "I'm curious about these 'Servants' you mentioned earlier." He muttered at length, eyeing the older man before him carefully "You said they were Heroic Spirits summoned and used as Familiars?"

"I know it may seem hard to believe, considering your upbringing." Tokiomi noted, sighing as if the very idea dumbfounded even HIM "Summoning Seven Warriors from amongst the ranks of Heroic Spirits that existed since the Age of the Gods into the present and pairing them with Seven Masters to battle it out in a bloody battle for supremacy." He nodded "That is very much what the Holy Grail War is."

"And you allow such a monstrosity?" Kirei demanded, addressing not only Tokiomi, but his solemn faced father, who had maintained his silence thus far "In a place where thousands of citizens live?"

It went without saying that, even BEFORE the ceasefire between the church and the Magus Association, all magi carried out their practices in secret in order to avoid drawing attention to themselves. In this modern era, where science and technology were quickly replacing Magecraft as the most prevalent force on the planet, to reveal one's existence as a magus was tantamount to suicide, even without factoring in the edicts of the Holy Church.

"Since the third Heaven's Feel an agreement has been made so that we at the Holy Church would dispatch a supervisor to keep the potential damages from the War to a minimum." Risei spoke up, startling his son "It is our duty to not only conceal all traces of the war's existence, but to ensure that the magi do so as well."

"The Church is serving as a referee in a conflict between magi?" Kirei repeated, admittedly stunned by the revelation, though naturally he hid it well.

"It is precisely because it IS a conflict between magi that we do so." Risei revealed "As it stands, there is no one in the Magi's Association qualified to act an impartial referee due to the political implications. There simply wasn't any way other than having recourse to an external authority such as the Church." He nodded solemnly "In addition, as I'm sure you're aware we of the Holy Church cannot turn a blind eye to a ritual involving a so called 'Holy Grail' though to tell the truth, we've had conclusive evidence that the Fuyuki Grail differs from the holy relic for some time now."

That certainly explained why the Grail Wars had been allowed to continue unopposed for so long. Normally the church would not have remained idle when faced with such a treasure, and Kirei had little doubt that, Master or not, he would've been deployed to Fuyuki along with several other members of the Assembly of the 8th Sacrament to plunder the Grail out of the hands of the magi, cease fire be damned.

"Still it's not as if we can simply ignore an omnipotent wish-granting device." Risei admitted with a troubled frown "Who knows what disaster could be wrought if it were to fall into the wrong hands?"

"Thus, it is best that we ensure that at the very least the Grail falls into the 'right' hands as a plan B." Tokiomi interposed, and Kirei had no doubt in his mind as to whose hands the Tohsaka head was talking about.

"While the Tohsaka are indeed Magi, they have a long history of friendship with the Church." Risei continued, confirming his son's suspicions "I can also vouch for Tokiomi-kun's character, and moreover, his intentions for the Grail are clear."

"To reach Akasha is the sole desire of the Tohsaka family." Tokiomi verified, as if Kirei hadn't guessed that already "Sadly, the Einzbern and Matou have both forgotten the wish we once shared."

"So I'll be participating in the upcoming Holy Grail War to ensure Tohsaka Tokiomi's victory, then." Kirei deduced, earning a nod from his father and a smile from Tokiomi.

"Of course, on the surface, we will act as enemies fighting over the Grail." The Tohsaka head elaborated, as if Kirei hadn't been able to figure it out on his own "But beneath the surface, we will join forces to defeat the remaining five Masters, and attain certain victory." He smiled as Risei nodded austerely "Kirei-kun, you will be transferred from the Holy Church to the Magus Association, where you will become my apprentice."

"The official orders have already been issued." Risei confirmed, taking out a letter of notification that bore the joint signatures of both the Holy Church and the Magus Association, addressed to his only son.

"You will go to Japan and study magic." Tokiomi continued confidently "There, you will become a Magus strong enough to summon a servant to fight in the Grail War three years from now." He smiled at Kirei "So, do you have other questions?"

"Just one of note;" Kirei admitted, turning to look Tokiomi in the eye for the first time "What exactly is the Grail's will in selecting the Masters?"

Tokiomi blinked, his brow furrowing, the Tohsaka head having not anticipated such a question, and Kirei had to admit he felt a small burst of accomplishment for wiping the smug smile off the man's face. The moment was short lived, however, as Tokiomi soon regained his composure, "The Grail prefers to choose Masters that need it the most." He admitted, smiling calmly at Kirei, who twitched at how close that struck to home.

"Does that mean that all the Masters selected have a reason for coveting the Grail?" the younger Kotomine demanded, trying to keep his voice level, only managing it with the years of practice he'd accumulated as a member of the 8th Sacrament.

"Not necessarily." Tokiomi countered, his tone dismissive "There have been cases in the past where Command Spells have appeared on people you wouldn't expect to be chosen." He glanced at Kirei with a smile "I see. Kirei-kun, are you still baffled that YOU, of all people, were chosen?" he continued at Kirei's nod "Admittedly it is surprising, considering your only link to the Grail would be through your father in his role as Overseer." He smiled confidently "No, perhaps it would be better to say that is the very reason you were selected. Perhaps the Grail anticipated that the Holy Church would support the Tohsaka family. In other words, the Grail is giving me two shares of command Seals, and for that, it chose you as a Master." He smiled arrogantly at the younger Kotomine "Does this explanation satisfy you?"

It didn't, but Kirei wasn't the sort to voice his opinions on something unless it involved carrying out the doctrine of the Church, in which case he was more than happy to get his 'point' across. Still, from what little he'd managed to gather of the arrogant Tohsaka Head's personality, it was clear to him that he wasn't likely to get a more satisfying answer out of the man for the time being, and so opted to put it on hold in favour of demanding to know when they were to leave so he could make preparations.

"I have a small task to take care of at the Clock Tower that requires me to stop over in Great Britain first." Tokiomi revealed "You will be travelling onto Japan ahead of me, I have already informed my family and they are waiting for you."

"Understood." Kirei acknowledged, wondering precisely what kind of welcome he, a former member of the Executors, was likely to receive in the home of a Magus, nodding in passing at his father before taking his leave, stepping out of the villa and making his way slowly down the winding hilltop path, the wind of the Mediterranean sea rustling his hair as he idly rubbed the back of his hand, the Command Spells shining red as blood in the light.

* * *

_Britannian Capital, Pendragon..._

He gasped slightly as he felt the blade enter his chest, slumping against his killer as the strength left his limbs, unable to help but smile as he envisioned the looks of shock on the faces of the watching crowd, who had fallen silent at this latest turn of events.

'Funny…' he mused, a wan smile adorning his features as he brought his hand up to touch the spreading bloodstain on his robes 'I thought it would've hurt more…'

"Lelouch…" Suzaku grunted, and despite everything they'd been through, done to one another, Lelouch couldn't help but feel touched at how his impending death distressed his best friend turned killer.

"Your punishment shall be thus…" he vowed, smiling as he reached one bloody hand up to cup the helmet that adorned his friend's face "You will live on…always wearing that mask, serving as a knight for justice and truth…you shall sacrifice the ordinary pleasures of your life for the benefit of the world…for eternity."

"This Geass…" Suzaku grit out, the hatred the masked man bore for the word meshing with his distress at the deeds he had just and was yet to perform "I do solemnly accept."

With that said he stepped back, Lelouch letting out a gasp as the blade exited his ruined torso with a sickening noise, the white-clad man staggering forward once, twice, before falling to his knees, tumbling down the slope of his transport, leaving a bloody trail in his wake as he slid down on his back, coming to a halt next to the distressed form of his sister, who reached hesitantly for his bloodied hand with her own.

"Lelouch?" she called out, almost hesitantly, as unable to believe what was happening before her, her violet eyes, which they had both inherited from their father, widening the moment she took his hand in hers "No…you mean everything you did until now…"

'Oh Nunnally…' he marvelled, wishing he could turn his head to gaze upon his beloved sibling one last time, only for his dying body spitefully deny this last request 'You always were sharper than people gave you credit for…myself included.'

"Oh Big brother…" the distraught girl whimpered, holding his hand, the hand that bore the blood of friend and foe alike, up to her face in distress "I love you!"

Those words, those five simple words, carried with them a greater power than if God himself had spoken them. Rallying his waning strength, Lelouch forced his lips to part, a smile adorning them as he gazed blindly up at the peerless blue sky, and at the ever growing light that bore the faces of everyone he'd ever met.

"Yes..." he breathed, accepting his fate, and the damnation that was sure to follow, with all the composure of a man who died fulfilled "I…destroyed the world…and remade it…anew."

And with that, Lelouch vi Britannia, 99th Emperor of the Holy Britannian Empire, passed away beneath the shining sun of his homeland, the light of which grew steadily bright and brighter as he felt the weight of his discarded body fall behind.

'So this is what happens when one joins the will of C?' he mused, honestly surprised that he could still create, or recognise, cognitive thought, though he supposed he'd have plenty to think about for the rest of eternity, more than likely regarding the countless sins he'd tallied against himself in life.

'I have no regrets.' He declared, and he meant it, for with Nunnally's last act of forgiveness, he could pass on to the whatever awaited him with a clear heart. Be it Heaven or Hell, if such places even existed, he did not care, what mattered was that the world he left behind was a world far better than the one he'd been born into.

"It certainly is." A voice noted, a familiar voice, Lelouch's eyes snapping open, prompting the late emperor to freeze, wondering if someone had actually gotten him medical attention before he could die, only to blink as he found himself standing before the spirally pillar of souls that made up the collective consciousness of mankind.

"What…the hell?" he wondered, blinking in confusion, looking down at his hands to find that yes, he was still dressed in his blood-stained emperor robes, though it appeared the wound that had shunted him off the mortal coil had decided not to tag along "What is this?"

"Surprised?" a voice called out, Lelouch freezing at the sound, his head whipping round to find himself face to face with a woman he'd never expected to see again "I don't blame you, most people are in your circumstances."

"Euphie…?" he breathed, gazing at the pink haired apparition before him in disbelief, for indeed, standing before him was none other than Euphemia li Britannia, his half-sister who had always held a special place in his heart, the self-same sister he'd been forced to gun down after unintentionally using his Geass to force her to carry out a massacre.

"Not exactly," Euphie offered, smiling consolingly at the late emperor "Though for all intents and purposes you could say I AM." She smiled at him teasingly "I guess the saying's true, you never really forget your first love."

"Who are you?" Lelouch demanded, his shock vanishing, replaced with suspicion and slowly mounting ANGER as he glared at the…THING that wore Euphie's face "Why do you look like Euphie?"

"Honestly Lelouch." The Euphie simulacrum huffed, her breasts bouncing perkily as she placed her hands on her hips, the action so eerily reminiscent of Euphie that Lelouch felt his heart clench despite himself "For someone so smart you really are slow on the uptake." She spread her arms wide with a smile "Look around you? Who else could I possibly be?"

Lelouch frowned, violet eyes narrowing as he glared at the being before him. Whoever, WHATEVER it was, it had done a DAMN good job of recreating Euphemia's form, voice and mannerisms. Everything from her brief lecture, the way she stood with her arms outstretched, that expectant smile on her face as she waited for him to figure out her identity, was exactly how Euphemia would have acted given the chance. The only difference was the eyes, for while the colour was right, they were lacklustre, like the eyes of a doll, devoid of the fire, compassion and indomitable spirit that was an inherent part of Euphemia's very being, or indeed any human emotion at all, which made the smile that adorned its face all the more terrifying to behold.

"Stop using Euphie's face." he growled, pointedly avoiding looking the abomination in the eyes "I don't care if you ARE the collective will of Mankind, if you don't stop using Euphie's face I'll finish what my parents started!"

"Oh well done!" another voice applauded, Lelouch tensing as he turned to find Euphemia's form replaced with that of Mao, the telepath clapping his hands in mock approval, his eyes thankfully hidden behind his sunglasses "As always, your amazing intellect shines through, Lelouch."

"It wasn't that hard to figure out." Lelouch deduced, his tone calm, betraying none of his ire as he gazed upon the simulacra of his predecessor "You didn't respond to my orders to identify yourself, which means you're immune to my Geass. Since only Code Bearers and those I've used my Geass on can claim that, and given where we are and your own words, what else could you be?"

"Clever boy…" 'Mao' applauded, the man's mocking tone sending shivers of disgust down the former Emperor's spine "Indeed, I am what you would call the collective will of Mankind. Since that's a bit of a mouthful, however, you can call me Alaya."

"Well then, Alaya or whatever you are…" Lelouch muttered, eyeing the entity before him with barely concealed intrigue "What can I do for you?"

"Now there's a question…" Alaya-Mao mused, cupping his chin in that childish manner Mao was so fond of doing when he'd been alive "What could I possibly want from the dreaded Devil Emperor Lelouch? The Man who saved the world but will never be thanked for it?"

"I was never in it for the praise." Lelouch countered, his tone clipped "All I cared for was to make the world a better place for Nunnally. If being hated for all eternity is what it took, then so be it."

"So dramatic." Alaya-Mao scoffed, Lelouch's brow twitching as he found himself face to face with Clovis, the first of his siblings to be killed in his Rebellion "Do you honestly believe that?"

"The whole point of Zero Requiem was to unite the world in hatred and fear of the 'Demon Emperor'." Lelouch countered, eyes narrowing "By bearing the worlds hatred I gave them something to resent, something worth working together to ensure it never comes back."

"And you honestly believe that'll be the end of it?" Alaya-Clovis demanded, shaking his head in mocking derision "You underestimate the nature of human beings, Lelouch."

"Maybe, but none of that matters to me anymore." Lelouch admitted solemnly "In the end, I was able to create a world where people like Nunnally could live in peace. I have no regrets."

"A good answer." Alaya noted, and were he not confident that he was already dead, Lelouch could've sworn that his heart skipped a beat at the sound of Shirley's voice, the Emperor glaring at the simulacra as it's dead eyes gazed out of the girl's face above an encouraging smile "Hold onto those beliefs, you'll need them where you're going."

* * *

_Lelouch's POV..._

Lelouch opened his mouth, intending to berate the entity for assuming Shirley's form, only to stumble at the feel of a tugging sensation from his navel, his eyes coming up once more to land on the girl's face before he was falling backwards into the light, his eyes snapping shut out of fear of being blinded, only to blink at the feeling of solid floor beneath his feet once again, his eyes widening as he found himself gazing out at the world through the visor of his Zero Mask.

'Is this…a dream?' he wondered, gazing down at his hands to find himself dressed once more in the garb of Zero, his violet eyes widening in amazement as centuries' worth of information proceeded to download itself into his brain.

An alternate timeline? A world where Sakuradite was never discovered? Where the Britannian Empire was never formed? A world where Sorcery existed, and Magi summoned Heroes from the age of legends to waged a secret war over control of an Omnipotent Wish Granting device?

A war, it seemed, which he was meant to participate in.

'Incredible…' he marvelled, mind reeling with the possibilities of his situation as the surge of information continued, revealing not only the laws and ordinances of the ritual into which he had been summoned 'The problem now is how to best plan my approach.'

It seemed he'd been summoned into the Assassin Class, and truth be told he doubted he'd be able to fulfil the perquisites for any of the others with the exception of Rider.

'Suzaku or Jeremiah would have made Saber rank for certain.' He mused, only to blink as he noticed the man standing before him, dressed in the vestments of a Catholic Priest despite the prana flow which connected them together.

"How interesting…" he mused "A priest knowledgeable in the ways of Magecraft?" He chuckled, unable to help the smirk that adorned his features as he eyed the stunned priest "It looks like I got a rather interesting Master."

* * *

So yeah, another Code Geass crossover, this one with the smash hit prequel series: Fate/Zero. A little heavy on the exposition, I'll admit, but hell, most of Nasu's games are pretty text heavy, and i wanted to set the mood.

As some of you might tell, this was inspired by Caphriel's Fic: Assassin's Requiem. However, I'll be approaching things a little differently with THIS Assassin, as evidenced by his knowing from the start that he's in an alternate world.

Another fact to keep in mind as that he wasn't summoned as 'Lelouch', but as 'Zero', and quite a few people saw Zero outrun machinegun bullets fired from guns that use RAILGUN technology, so expect his stats to be a little higher. This also means he has a few more NP's to call upon.

No spoilers other than that. This one is DEFINATELY going to be written, as a sort of birthday present to myself, and to you all.

Wishing you all the best, and rest assured, my other fics aren't dead...for the most part.


End file.
